Studies of computational fluid dynamics in the flow field of the AC arc heater

The fluid dynamics in the jet field of AC arc heater is one of the key factors to material thermo-chemical ablation. Ultrasonic free and impinging jet were predicted by compressible N-S equation, the FEM and k-ε turbulence model were employed in the calculation, the free jet field could be characterized by three regions: The core region, the entrainment region, and the fully turbulent region, the velocity distribution of the free jet is non-homogeneous, and the axis velocity is fluctuated; stagnation region can be seen near the wall for impinging jet; it is useful in understanding nozzle external flow field and impinging jet parameter distribution such as pressure, temperature, and velocity. It is also helpful optimal design of experimental set and calculation of the ablation, the numerical results are in good agreement with experimental data.