Internal Energy Transfer and Dissociation Model Development using Accelerated First-Principles Simulations of Hypersonic Flow Features

Abstract

All-atom computational chemistry (molecular dynamics -- MD) simulation of normal shock waves is demonstrated and validated with experimental data for shock structure. The only model input into such simulations is the potential energy surface (PES) that governs individual atomic interaction forces. In contrast to existing rotational energy models, we found that the rotational relaxation rate depends strongly on the initial degree of nonequilibrium and the direction towards the equilibrium state. Compressing flows involve fast excitation whereas expanding flows involve slow relaxation for the same equilibrium temperature. We developed a new rotation model for both DSMC and CFD simulation. At high temperatures we found clear evidence of rotational-vibrational energy coupling. In contrast to existing models, we propose that a coupled ro-vib relaxation time is required to model direct energy transfer between rotation and vibration at high temperatures and we present a new ro-vibrational model. Finally, we develop a numerical method that replaces the collision model in DSMC with MD trajectories. We verify that the new method exactly reproduces pure MD results. This advancement enables the simulation of axisymmetric and even 3D flows with the accuracy of pure MD.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 09, 2013
Accession Number
ADA590629

Entities

People

  • Thomas E. Schwartzentruber

Organizations

  • University of Minnesota

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boundary Layer
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Computational Chemistry
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Energy
  • Energy Transfer
  • Experimental Data
  • Flow Fields
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Geometry
  • Heat Transfer
  • Molecular Dynamics
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Simulators
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Molecular Photonics/Laser Physics

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Lasers
  • Hypersonics
  • Hypersonics - Hypersonic Flight