Abstract
This paper presents an assessment of the suitability of the USA-RG2 (Unified Solution Algorithm for Real Gas in Two Dimensions) computational fluid dynamics code for simulating the flow in a variable-area shock tunnel. A multi-zone gridding technique is used to model the 1:57-Scale Large Blast Simulator test facility at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Computations for various grid configurations employing inviscid and viscous solution algorithms with and without turbulence were executed, and the results are compared to experimental data. The need for an adequate mesh density in the grid to obtain a realistic flow simulation and the advantage of solving the full Navier-Stokes equations invoking a two-equation (k-ε) turbulence model are demonstrated for the experiment chosen as a bench mark in the assessment.
