Impact of non-equilibrium effects on heat transfer characteristics of the Orel reentry vehicle

Based on a numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes system of equations, simulations were performed of the flow and heat transport by air in equilibrium and non-equilibrium state for a reentry vehicle (RV) of segmental-and-conical shape. The paper provides a brief description of the method for computing the flow of non-equilibrium dissociating air. Calculations were performed at characteristic points of the RV reentry into the Earth atmosphere at second cosmic velocity with two dips into the atmosphere. The paper provides a description of characteristic spatial computational grids for solving the problem of determining gas dynamics parameters field. The impact on heat exchange of chemical non-equilibrium effects in the shock and boundary layers around RV were examined. Results are provided for computations of heat flux distribution over the RV surface when equilibrium and non-equilibrium air flows around it.