High-fidelity numerical simulation and modeling of boundary layer transition and heat transfer in hypersonic flows over blunt bodies with surface roughness and mass flux

Accurate prediction of aerodynamic heating of space vehicles in hypersonic flight during atmospheric entry, descent, and landing (EDL) is paramount to the success of future space missions. Transition between laminar and turbulent flow regimes in the thin layers of fluid near the exposed surfaces of space vehicles critically increases the heat transfer that must be dissipated by the spacecraft’s thermal protection system (TPS). The proposed research aims to characterize the effects of surface roughness, freestream turbulence, and surface mass flux on laminar-to-turbulent transition and heat transfer augmentation in hypersonic flows over blunt bodies via high-fidelity numerical simulations, enabling accurate and feasible predictions through novel modeling approaches

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