Simulation of heating of the sensitive element of the heat flux sensors in a high-velocity flow under variable input conditions

The paper presents the results of numerical simulations of high-velocity turbulent air flows in a plane channel with a variable cross section exhibiting sudden expansion with allowance for coupled heat transfer with copper plates modeling the sensitive elements of heat flux sensors. The simulations are performed for conditions of a high-enthalpy short-duration wind tunnel whose specific features are the short duration of the test regime and unsteady “falling” conditions at the model channel entrance. The wave structure of the supersonic flow, which affects the heat fluxes at the walls, is analyzed for various Mach numbers at the model channel entrance. The numerical algorithm is validated on the basis of experimental data on heating of the sensitive elements of heat flux sensors for unsteady input conditions at the channel entrance. The influence of the Mach number, static parameters, and stagnation parameters on the rate of heating of the sensitive elements located at various points in the channel is studied numerically. The heat fluxes calculated under constant and “falling” conditions at the channel entrance are compared. It is shown that the accuracy of heat flux modeling can be increased by taking into account the intensity of oscillations of the flow parameters and their changes along the channel.