Analysis of large solid propellant rocket engine exhaust plumes using the direct simulation Monte Carlo methodA new solution procedure has been developed to analyze the flowfield properties in the vicinity of the Inertial Upper Stage/Spacecraft during the 1st stage (SRMI) burn. Continuum methods are used to compute the nozzle flow and the exhaust plume flowfield as far as the boundary where the breakdown of translational equilibrium leaves these methods invalid. The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is applied everywhere beyond this breakdown boundary. The flowfield distributions of density, velocity, temperature, relative abundance, surface flux density, and pressure are discussed for each species for 2 sets of boundary conditions: vacuum and freestream. The interaction of the exhaust plume and the freestream with the spacecraft and the 2-stream direct interaction are discussed. The results show that the low density, high velocity, counter flowing free-stream substantially modifies the flowfield properties and the flux density incident on the spacecraft. A freestream bow shock is observed in the data, located forward of the high density region of the exhaust plume into which the freestream gas does not penetrate. The total flux density incident on the spacecraft, integrated over the SRM1 burn interval is estimated to be of the order of 10 to the 22nd per sq m (about 1000 atomic layers).
Document ID
19840035342
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Hueser, J. E. (Old Dominion Univ. Norfolk, VA, United States)
Brock, F. J. (Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA, United States)
Melfi, L. T., Jr. (NASA Langley Research Center Space Systems Div., Hampton, VA, United States)
Bird, G. A. (Sydney, University Sydney, Australia)