Reflected Shock/Boundary Layer Interaction in the Reservoir Region of the HEG Shock Tunnel

Abstract

To prevent high velocity particles and debris from entering the test section and damaging the test model, a "particle stopper" is currently used in the HEG shock tunnel to shield the nozzle entrance. The purpose of the present study is to investigate how the particle stopper would affect the reflected shock/boundary layer interaction, which is a key mechanism to cause driver gas contamination. A computational study has been carried out to examine the influence of the particle stopper on the bifurcated shock structure as the reflected shock propagates into the flow with viscous boundary layers. The flow field behind the shock as well as the influence of the current design on the outflow will also be discussed.