Overlapping unstructured grid technology for the numerical simulation of flow around multistage space system

The application of the composite grid concept in the framework of unstructured approach for the numerical simulation of flow around complex multistage space systems is discussed. The group of streamlined bodies of arbitrary configuration under the changes in the number of system elements and their mutual arrangement is considered. This technology is based on the application of overlapping unstructured grids, which are independently generated for each object of the system. The proposed aerodynamic model of system of arbitrarily located objects having complex configurations is based on the computational technologies for unstructured mesh generation and for the integration of the Navier – Stokes / Euler equations, which are developed in Institute for Problems in Mechanics Russian Academy of Sciences (IPMech RAS). The algorithm implementation requires minor source code modifications. The possibilities of the approach are demonstrated by the example of the numerical simulation of flow around complex multistage space transportation system Space Shuttle. The created virtual prototype of the space system arrangement unites in itself the set of volume grids, which are independently generated for individual stages based on the most realistic virtual surfaces. A mathematical description of the geometry of each system element contains all the basic details of the corresponding configuration.