Numerical investigation of a hypersonic flow around a capsule in CO2–N2 environment

Abstract A numerical investigation is conducted to study a viscous hypersonic flow around a capsule in chemical and vibrational nonequilibrium. A 16 − reaction kinetic model was implemented in our two-temperature Hypersonic Reacting Flow (HRF) code. The vibrational relaxation times are evaluated using Millikan & White semi-empiric formula along with Park’s correction for high temperature. The utilized 16 − reaction kinetic model demonstrates good modeling of the chemical nonequilibrium. The simulations are performed for three wall conditions: noncatalytic, equilibrium catalytic, and fully catalytic wall. Obtained results show a good agreement with the literature. The heat flux was found to vary from 10 to 41 W/cm 2 depending on the wall condition.