Calculation of ionized chemically nonequilibrium flow around a reentry module

Abstract

A method for calculating a hypersonic ionized flow at the entrance of the reentry module into the Earth’s atmosphere has been developed. The mathematical modeling of such a flow was performed using a system of equations, which includes the equations of the continuity of components, the equation of momentum, the equations of total energy, vibrational energy, and electron energy. Chemical reactions and ionization reactions were taken into account. The vibrational temperatures of diatomic molecules and electrons were calculated. Calculations were made for various flight altitudes (60-85 km) at free-stream speeds from the first to the second cosmic velocity. The results of computations according to the proposed methodology are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data and the computation results of other authors.