Influence of nonequilibrium radiation and shape change on aerothermal environment of Jovian entry body

Radiative transfer equations are derived under nonequilibrium conditions which include multilevel energy transitions. The nonequalibrium results, obtained with and without ablation injection in the shock layer, are found to be greatly influenced by the temperature distribution in the shock layer. In the absence of ablative products, the convective and radiative heating to the entry body are reduced significantly under nonequilibrium conditions. The influence of nonequilibrium is found to be greater at higher entry altitudes. With coupled ablation and carbon phenolic injection, 16 chemical species are used in the ablation layer for radiation absorption. Equilibrium and nonequilibrium results are compared under peak heating conditions. A 45 degree sphere cone, a 35 degree hyperboloid, and a 45 degree ellipsoid were used to study probe shape change. Results indicate that the shock layer flow field and heat transfer to the body are influenced significantly by the probe shape change. The effect of shape change on radiative heating of the afterbodies is found to be considerably larger for the sphere cone and ellipsoid than for the hyperboloid.