Optimum Shape for Transpiration-Cooled Nosetip of a Re-Entry Vehicle.

Abstract

The variations of parameters method was used to determine the optimum nose shape for a reentry vehicle having a transpiration-cooled nosetip (TCNT). Three families of nose shapes were considered - The oblate ellipsoid, the flat face - round shoulder, and the spherical arc - round shoulder. These families are bounded by the flat face - sharp corner at one extreme and the hemisphere at the other extreme. The amount of coolant required by each nose shape during reentry was determined by using a high speed computer to couple the aerodynamic equations with the trajectory equations. The optimum shape is the shape which requires the least amount of coolant for reentry. The flat face - sharp corner shape was found to require the least amount of coolant, about 60 percent less water than the hemisphere. Although the time to impact is longer for the flat face, the smaller surface area and lower heating intensity more than offsets the increased reentry time. The possibility of an optimum flat face height was also investigated; no face height was found that minimized the total heating to the vehicle during reentry. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1978
Accession Number
ADA072296

Entities

People

  • Kevin E. Yelmgren

Organizations

  • Flight Dynamics Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerodynamic Heating
  • Boundary Layer
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computer Programs
  • Equations Of State
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Geometry
  • Heat Transfer
  • Mach Number
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Pressure Gradients
  • Reentry Vehicles
  • Reynolds Number
  • Shock Waves
  • Turbulent Flow

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.