Hybrid RANS-LES study of transonic flow in the wake of a generic space launch vehicle

Abstract

Transonic flow in the wake of a generic space launch vehicle is investigated using Improved Delayed Detached-Eddy simulations on quasi-structured, partially unstructured and hybrid grids. It is shown that a 90 ∘ segment of the full domain can already capture the main afterbody flow dynamics and give a good agreement with experimental results. In order to assess the effect of unstructured grids, simulation results on a grid with an unstructured recirculation region are compared to a quasi-structured and a true hybrid grid. Finally, a comparison between IDDES and zonal DES results are presented and discussed.