Nitric Oxide Chemistry and Velocity Slip Effects in Hypersonic Boundary Layers

Abstract

Simulations of gas seeding into a hypersonic boundary layer flow were performed using OpenFOAM to investigate and quantify errors associated with quantitative planar laser induced fluorescence thermometry and velocimetry techniques. A modified version of the compressible rhoCentralFoam solver was used to simulate multicomponent chemically reactive flows. Simulations replicated conditions used in NASA Langley’s 31” Mach 10 facility with a wedge model oriented at various angles of attack. The magnitude and location of potential reactions were estimated through the use of an analytical half-life model and non-reactive simulations. These estimates were compared to the reactive simulations. The order of magnitude predictions were found to be accurate when a simulated estimate of the distribution of nitric oxide was used. The effect of the heat release due to chemical reactions on the velocity and temperature profiles was investigated and found to be negligible for all positive angles of attack.