Abstract

The following will outline the methodology and results of validating a coupled Method of Characteristics (MOC) and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. This research focused specifically on modeling plume impingement, induced by Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that flew on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) space shuttle Discovery. For each simulation, the continuum portion of the RCS thruster was simulated using MOC for solving hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and computed with the NASA code, Reacting and Multi-phase Program (RAMP). The solution was then implemented as a starting condition into the NASA DSMC code, Direct Simulation and Monte Carlo Analysis Code (DAC). Typically, DSMC models rely on code-to-code validation for fidelity. The significance of this research is in its ability to validate its models against empirical data. Prior to computing solutions for these simulations, the mesh size and structure were optimized and many variants of DSMC input parameters were iterated on in order to acquire a reliable, mesh-independent, fully optimized numerical solution. This research will discuss the mathematical formulation of MOC for nozzle flow and DSMC for rarefied gases. Additionally, it will provide an explanation of how to implement these mathematical concepts into the two solvers: RAMP and DAC. Ultimately, this research will demonstrate that the overall process illustrated produces results in good agreement with empirical data. As a consequence, the methodology presented is granted an increased level of confidence and will greatly contribute to the aerospace industry and its effort in understanding and predicting rarefied flow fields.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2020

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Ahmed, Kareem

Degree

Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering (M.S.A.E.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degree Program

Aerospace Engineering; Thermofluid Aerodynamic Systems

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008575; DP0024251

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0024251

Language

English

Release Date

February 2021

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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