Vk. Dogra et al., NEAR-WAKE STRUCTURE FOR A GENERIC CONFIGURATION OF AEROASSISTED SPACETRANSFER VEHICLES, Journal of spacecraft and rockets, 31(6), 1994, pp. 953-959
Results of a numerical study are presented for hypersonic low-density
nitrogen gas flow about a 70-deg blunt cone using the direct simulatio
n Monte Carlo method. The flow conditions simulated are attainable in
existing low-density hypersonic wind tunnels; encompassing freestream
Knudsen numbers of 0.03 to 0.001. Particular emphasis is given to the
near-wake dow and its sensitivity to rarefaction and other parametric
variations. A stable vortex forms in the near wake at and below a free
stream Knudsen number of 0.01, and the size of the vortex increases wi
th decreasing freestream Knudsen number. The base region of the now re
mains in thermal nonequilibrium for all cases. There is no formation o
f a lip separation shock or a distinct wake shock at these rarefied co
nditions.