Study on the performance of spatial discretization schemes for hypersonic flow

Abstract

Purpose With the continuous increase of space activities and insight into space exploration, the velocity of near space hypersonic vehicles becomes higher and higher, which leads to the aerothermodynamic phenomenon getting worse around a vehicle; therefore, the exploration of numerical scheme applicability is essential for hypersonic flow simulations. Design/methodology/approach The implicit finite volume schemes are derived from axisymmetric Navier–Stokes equations for chemical equilibrium flow and programmed in Fortran. Taking the atmosphere at 30 km as an example, the performance of spatial discretization schemes such as AUSMPW and AUSMPW+ are analyzed in a range of Mach numbers from 17 to 32. Findings The AUSMPW scheme appears pressure jump near the stagnation if the Mach number is over 18, but AUSMPW+ scheme shows better performance in comparison. Originality/value This study will help the aerothermodynamic design in near space hypersonic vehicles.