Numerical Simulations of the FIRE-II Convective and Radiative Heating Rates

Numerical simulations of axisymmetric flows over the FIRE-II spacecraft at reentry conditions using a Navier-Stokes solver being developed at the University of Michigan are presented. The finite-volume method is used to solve the set of differential equations. The code has the capability to handle any mix of hexahedra, tetrahedra, prisms and pyramids in 3D or triangles and quadrilaterals in 2D. Numerical fluxes between the cells are discretized using a modified Steger-Warming Flux Vector Splitting which has low dissipation and is appropriate to calculate boundary layers. A point or line implicit method is used to perform the time integration. The computed convective heating rates are in good agreement to other numerical results and are consistent with total heat transfer flight measurements. The radiative heating rates, computed using NASA’s NEQAIR code, are also in good agreement with results obtained previously.