Sensitivity Analysis of the Gupta and Park Chemical Models on the Heat Flux by DSMC and CFD Codes

The present study is the logical continuation of a former paper by the first author in which the influence of the chemical models by Gupta and by Park on the computation of heat flux on the Orion and EXPERT capsules was evaluated. Tests were carried out by the direct simulation Monte Carlo code DS2V and by the computational fluid-dynamic (CFD) code H3NS. DS2V implements the Gupta model, while H3NS implements the Park model. In order to compare the effects of the chemical models, the Park model was implemented also in DS2V. The results showed that DS2V and H3NS compute a different composition both in the flow field and on the surface, even using the same chemical model (Park). Furthermore DS2V computes, by the two chemical models, different compositions in the flow field but the same composition on the surface, therefore the same heat flux. In the present study, in order to evaluate the influence of these chemical models also in a CFD code, the Gupta and the Park models have been implemented in FLUENT. Tests by DS2V and by FLUENT, have been carried out for the EXPERT capsule at the altitude of 70 km and with velocity of 5000 m/s. The capsule experiences a hypersonic, continuum low density regime. Due to the energy level of the flow, the vibration equation, lacking in the original version of FLUENT, has been implemented. The results of the heat flux computation verify that FLUENT is quite sensitive to the Gupta and to the Park chemical models. In fact, at the stagnation point, the percentage difference between the models is about 13%. On the opposite the DS2V results by the two models are practically equivalent.