Simulation of the spacecraft supersonic jets in vacuum on small-sized laboratory installations

Abstract

Abstract The paper presents the experience of modeling supersonic jets of rarefied gases expanding into a vacuum or highly rarefied medium of any given gas composition, as well as interacting flows from nozzle blocks on experimental installations developed at Novosibirsk State University. Examples of visualization of complex sparse flows, results of measurements by electron-beam spectroscopy and molecular-beam mass spectrometry of the density and flows composition under different flow conditions are given. The obtained experimental data validation problems and natural conditions modeling possibilities on small-sized laboratory installations, model and real flows conditions and parameters of similarity are discussed.