Prediction of shock-layer ultraviolet radiation for hypersonic vehicles in near space

A systemic and validated model was developed to predict ultraviolet spectra features from the shock layer of near-space hypersonic vehicles in the ‘‘solar blind" band region. Computational procedures were performed with 7-species thermal non-equilibrium fluid mechanics, finite rate chemistry, and radiation calculations. The thermal non-equilibrium flow field was calculated with a two-temperature model by the finite volume technique and verified against the bow-shock ultra-violet(BSUV) flight experiments. The absorption coefficient of the mixture gases was evaluated with a line-by-line method and validated through laboratory shock tube measurements. Using the line of sight(LOS) method, radiation was calculated from three BSUV flights at altitudes of 38,53.5 and 71 km. The investigation focused on the level and structure of ultraviolet spectra radiated from a NO band system in wavelengths of 200–400 nm. Results predicted by the current model show qualitative spatial agreement with the measured data. At a velocity of 3.5 km/s(about Mach11), the peak absolute intensity at an altitude of 38 km is two orders of magnitude higher than that at 53.5 km. Under the same flight conditions, the spectra structures have quite a similar distribution at different viewing angles. The present computational model performs well in the prediction of the ultraviolet spectra emitted from the shock layer and will contribute to the investigation and analysis of radiative features of hypersonic vehicles in near space.     

Numerical analysis of hypersonic thermochemical non-equilibrium environment for an entry configuration in ionized flow

A theoretical methodology for thermochemical non-equilibrium flow combing with the HLLC (Harten-Lax-van Leer Contact) scheme was applied to study the hypersonic thermochemical non-equilibrium environment of an entry configuration in ionized flow. A two-temperature controlling model was utilized and the Gupta’s 11 species (N₂, O₂, NO, O, N, NO⁺, N₂⁺, O₂⁺, N⁺, O⁺, e^?) thermochemical non-equilibrium model was taken. Firstly, numerical calculations of hypersonic thermochemical non-equilibrium environments for different aerodynamic shapes were carried out to verify the reliability of the method above. Then, the method was used to research the effects of ionization and wall catalysis on the hypersonic thermochemical non-equilibrium environment of the entry configuration in ionized flow. The shock stand-off distance can be reduced by thermochemical reactions but doesn’t continue to decrease significantly when ionization occurs. The shock stand-off distance calculated by the 11 species model is 4.2% smaller than that calculated by the 5 species (N₂, O₂, NO, O, N) thermochemical non-equilibrium model without considering ionization. Ionization reduces wall heat flux but increases wall pressure a little. The effect of ionization on aerothermal loads is greater than that of aerodynamic loads. The thermochemical reactions of electrons and ions catalyzed at the wall increase wall heat flux significantly but make a small change in wall pressure. The maximum wall heat flux obtained by only considering the electrons and ions catalyzed at the partially catalytic wall condition is 11.8% less than that calculated at the super-catalytic wall condition.     

Particle swarm optimization applied to hypersonic reentry trajectories

This paper presents the novel use of the particle swarm optimization(PSO)to generate the end-to-end trajectory for hypersonic reentry vehicles in a quite simple formulation.The velocitydependent bank angle profile is developed to reduce the search space of unknown parameters based on the constrained PSO algorithm.The path constraints are enforced by setting the fitness function to be infinite on condition that the particles violate the maximum allowable values.The PSO algorithm also provides a much easier means to satisfy the terminal conditions by adding penalty terms to the fitness function.Furthermore,the approximate reentry landing footprint is fast constructed by incorporating an interpolation model into the standardized bank angle profiles.Numerical simulations demonstrate that the PSO method is a feasible and flexible tool to generate the end-to-end trajectory and landing footprint for hypersonic reentry vehicles.     

高超声速飞行器控制面热防护系统地面试验研究

针对高超声速飞行器控制面研发手段中极其重要的地面试验技术,以X-37轨道飞行器为例,介绍了国外的最新研究进展和关键技术解决途径,以及指导地面试验研究的方法,并针对控制面方案在评估和鉴定中必不可少的高温模态试验,进行了综述和分析。     

Advances in critical technologies for hypersonic and high-enthalpy wind tunnel

Hypersonic and high-enthalpy wind tunnels and their measurement techniques are the cornerstone of the hypersonic flight era that is a dream for human beings to fly faster, higher and further. The great progress has been achieved during the recent years and their critical technologies are still in an urgent need for further development. There are at least four kinds of hypersonic and high-enthalpy wind tunnels that are widely applied over the world and can be classified according to their operation modes. These wind tunnels are named as air-directly-heated hypersonic wind tunnel, light-gas-heated shock tunnel, free-piston-driven shock tunnel and detonation-driven shock tunnel, respectively. The critical technologies for developing the wind tunnels are introduced in this paper, and their merits and weakness are discussed based on wind tunnel performance evaluation. Measurement techniques especially developed for high-enthalpy flows are a part of the hypersonic wind tunnel technology because the flow is a chemically reacting gas motion and its diagnosis needs specially designed instruments. Three kinds of the measurement techniques considered to be of primary importance are introduced here, including the heat flux sensor, the aerodynamic balance, and optical diagnosis techniques. The techniques are developed usually for conventional wind tunnels, but further improved for hypersonic and high-enthalpy tunnels. The hypersonic ground test facilities have provided us with most of valuable experimental data on high-enthalpy flows and will play a more important role in hypersonic research area in the future. Therefore, several prospects for developing hypersonic and high-enthalpy wind tunnels are presented from our point of view.     

Sensitivity analysis of flowfield modeling parameters upon the flow structure and aerodynamics of an opposing jet over a hypersonic blunt body

Implementation of an opposing jet in design of a hypersonic blunt body significantly modifies the external flowfield and yields a considerable reduction in the aerodynamic drag. This study aims to investigate the effects of flowfield modeling parameters of injection and freestream on the flow structure and aerodynamics of a blunt body with an opposing jet in hypersonic flow. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with a Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model are employed to simulate the intricate jet flow interaction. Through utilizing a Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos (NIPC) method to construct surrogates, a functional relation is established between input modeling parameters and output flowfield and aerodynamic quantities in concern. Sobol indices in sensitivity analysis are introduced to represent the relative contribution of each parameter. It is found that variations in modeling parameters produce large variations in the flow structure and aerodynamics. The jet-to-freestream total-pressure ratio, jet Mach number, and freestream Mach number are the major contributors to variation in surface pressure, demonstrating an evident location-dependent behavior. The penetration length of injection, reattachment angle of the shear layer, and aerodynamic drag are also most sensitive to the three crucial parameters above. In comparison, the contributions of freestream temperature, freestream density, and jet total temperature are nearly negligible.     

先进的热防护方法及在飞行器的应用前景初探

随着航天技术的发展,飞行器的热环境面临着新的变化,对热防护提出了挑战。对各类主动热防护方式的原理、研究进展和应用现状进行了归纳总结。结合飞行器未来发展,提出了适应于未来应用的基于相变工质的对流冷却、自适应膜相变冷却和发汗冷却的系统性主动热防护方式。并以此为基础,提出了结合被动、半被动和主动热防护的飞行器全时域综合热管理思路。     

A novel approach for predicting inlet pressure of aircraft hydraulic pumps under transient conditions

Cavitation caused by insufficient suction is a major factor that influences the life of aircraft pumps. Currently, pressurizing the tank can solve the cavitation problem under steady large-flow conditions. However, this method is not always effective under transient conditions (from zero flow to full flow in a very short time). Moreover, to apply and design other measures, such as a boost impeller, the suction dynamics during the transient period must be investigated. In this paper, a novel approach based on the pressure wave propagation theory is proposed for predicting the inlet pressure of an aircraft pump under transient conditions. First, a dynamic model of a typical aircraft pump is established in the form of differential equations. Then, the transient flow model of the inlet line is described using momentum and continuity equations, and the governing equations are discretized by the method of characteristics and the finite difference method. The simulated results are in good agreement with the results from verification tests. Further simulation analysis indicates that the wave velocity and transient time may influence the inlet and reservoir pressure as well as the size of the inlet line. Finally, solutions for upgrading the inlet pressure are discussed. These solutions provide guidelines for designing inlet installations.     

Optimization of entry-vehicle shapes during conceptual design

During the conceptual design of a re-entry vehicle, the vehicle shape and geometry can be varied and its impact on performance can be evaluated. In this study, the shape optimization of two classes of vehicles has been studied: a capsule and a winged vehicle. Their aerodynamic characteristics were analyzed using local-inclination methods, automatically selected per vehicle segment. Entry trajectories down to Mach 3 were calculated assuming trimmed conditions. For the winged vehicle, which has both a body flap and elevons, a guidance algorithm to track a reference heat-rate was used. Multi-objective particle swarm optimization was used to optimize the shape using objectives related to mass, volume and range. The optimizations show a large variation in vehicle performance over the explored parameter space. Areas of very strong non-linearity are observed in the direct neighborhood of the two-dimensional Pareto fronts. This indicates the need for robust exploration of the influence of vehicle shapes on system performance during engineering trade-offs, which are performed during conceptual design. A number of important aspects of the influence of vehicle behavior on the Pareto fronts are observed and discussed. There is a nearly complete convergence to narrow-wing solutions for the winged vehicle. Also, it is found that imposing pitch-stability for the winged vehicle at all angles of attack results in vehicle shapes which require upward control surface deflections during the majority of the entry.     

大涵道比涡扇发动机TPS短舱低速气动特性分析

为了评估民机低速带动力试验时进排气效应的影响,选取大涵道比发动机涡轮动力模拟器(TPS)短舱和真实发动机短舱作为研究对象,采用数值模拟方法对其起飞、进近状态的低速气动特性进行对比分析。结果表明:由于TPS流量低于真实发动机需求,其唇口、外罩流场特征和真实发动机短舱有所不同,阻力特性也有差别;在进气道处于亚临界状态时,TPS短舱阻力系数比真实短舱大了约1.7个阻力单位,又由于唇口当地气流攻角更大,使得TPS短舱失速攻角相对降低了约1.0°;当进气道工作于超临界状态时,TPS短舱虽然也可以反映真实短舱的流动特性,但由于捕获流管收缩情况和气流驻点随攻角的变化,使得在0°~20°攻角时TPS短舱的阻力系数高于真实短舱,而在20°~30°攻角时其阻力系数略低,差量最大约为1.8个阻力单位。对于研究的大涵道比发动机,未经唇口及外罩修正的TPS短舱其低速气动特性基本可以反映真实进排气效应的影响,但在气动特性分析中可以考虑进一步修正进气效应的影响。