Oblique Shock/Bow Shock Interference in Rarefied Flow Past a Cylinder

Direct statistical simulation is employed to study the flow of a rarefied diatomic gas past a cylinder in the presence of an incident oblique shock. The distinctive features of the formation of a high-pressure compressed-gas jet in the case of interference between the oblique shock and the bow shock are studied for different Reynolds numbers. The variation of the pressure and the heat transfer to the surface with the shock position relative to the center of the cylinder, the Reynolds number, and the surface temperature is analyzed. The results obtained are compared with the experimental data and the results of the numerical solutions of the Euler and boundary layer equations. Free-molecular-to-continuum flow transition is demonstrated with reference to the example of interference-free flow past a cylinder.