Aerodynamic coefficients computed for a generic sharp-edged re-entry configuration

Abstract

Aerodynamic coefficients – drag, lift and pitching moment – for a generic sharp-edged re-entry configuration (test case „ESA_ATD3WD2017_SHARP“) were computed at DLR Göttingen, using three numerical methods of different modeling depth. The Direct Simulation Monte-Carlo (DSMC) method is the physically most accurate but numerically most expensive scheme. High spatial resolution of intermolecular collisions is achieved via a near-neighbor collision partner selection scheme and grid cells refined to a characteristic dimension smaller than the local mean free path. We make use of the SPARTA implementation developed at Sandia National Laboratories in this work. A recently suggested method based on the Fokker-Planck approximation of the Boltzmann equation was implemented into the SPARTA framework and yields results similar to those obtained by DSMC, albeit with less computational effort. For comparison, the inviscid-flow limit is explored by employing the DLR TAU code to solve the Euler equations.