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Flowfield uncertainty analysis for hypersonic computational fluid dynamics simulations

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2011

Abstract

Uncertainty quantification in the hypersonic flow regime offers valuable information to determine physical models in need of improvement and to assist in design of vehicles and flight experiments. Here we present results of uncertainty quantification analysis based on polynomial chaos method to determine flowfield and surface heat flux uncertainty under typical blunt-body reentry conditions. The NASA Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm code [Cheatwood, F., and Gnoffo, P., "Manual for the Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA),"NASATM4674, 1996.], was used for axisymmetric computational fluid dynamics calculations of chemically-reacting, hypersonic flow over FIRE 2 configuration. A third-order polynomial chaos method using the Gauss-Hermite quadrature was applied for determining probability density functions and moments of output quantities. Input parameters such as freestream density, velocity, and temperature were varied, and the propagation of their corresponding uncertainties on output properties of interest through the flowfield were studied. The flowfield regions where the uncertainties are amplified due to nonlinear effects have been determined. An order of magnitude increase in surface heat flux uncertainties was observed for an input freestream velocity uncertainty ofμ30 m=s, or 0.29%. This parameter thus has the greatest sensitivity to variations, and conversely the freestream temperature has the least sensitivity. The utility of analyzing higher moments, such as skewness, in addition to mean and deviation of the uncertain output parameters has also been demonstrated.

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Source Publication

Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer (ISSN 0887-8722 | eISSN 1533-6808)

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