Numerical Investigation of Droplet Aerobreakup and Impingement Experiments at Mach 5

Manuel Viqueira-Moreira, A. Dworzanczyk, N. J. Parziale, Christoph Brehm

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Droplet simulations with and without phase change have been performed to further our understanding of the relevant physics involved in aerobreakup and impingement of water droplets at hypersonic flow speeds and large Weber numbers. The numerical simulations are conducted closely following light-gas gun experiments performed at the Southwest Research Institute. A robust higher-order WENO-based multiphase numerical method is used with the assumption of thermo-chemical equilibrium (infinitely fast relaxation) to enable simulations of the post-impingement phase. Adaptive mesh refinement allows for computationally efficient tracking of important flow features such as liquid/vapor/gas interfaces, shocks and wakes. The target geometry is modeled using an immersed boundary method. This paper aims to investigate the dominant physical mechanisms by simulating the problem considering different modeling fidelity such as with and without viscous effects and/or with and without phase change. This approach allows to explore how the droplet breakup is affected by these associated physical mechanisms. It was found that the vapor layer plays an important role in the droplet aerobreakup on the front face of the droplet as well as for the wake dynamics. The final droplet impingement phase could be robustly simulated with the current approach and, while not perfectly matching the experiment, the complexity of the relevant flow physics could still be investigated by comparing the simulation results with the experimental data.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition, AIAA AVIATION Forum 2023
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
EventAIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition, AIAA AVIATION Forum 2023 - San Diego, United States
Duration: 12 Jun 202316 Jun 2023

Publication series

NameAIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition, AIAA AVIATION Forum 2023

Conference

ConferenceAIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition, AIAA AVIATION Forum 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Diego
Period12/06/2316/06/23

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