Aerothermal exploration of reaction control jet in supersonic crossflow at high altitude

Multiple reaction control jets injected normal to free-stream is used to manoeuvre aerospace vehicle at high altitudes. Detailed aerothermal analysis of a high speed aerospace vehicle with multiple lateral jets is carried out in its full trajectory covering wide range of Mach numbers and altitudes. Three dimensional RANS simulations with laminar-turbulent transition models are performed at several instances in the flight trajectory using commercial CFD solver. Numerical simulations captured all complex flow phenomena of free stream & multi-jet interaction at high altitudes and its influence on vehicle airframe temperature. Heat flux data base obtained from CFD analysis is used for transient thermal analysis of flight vehicle. High temperature local hot spots in jet wake regions and detailed thermal analysis of total vehicle provided important inputs to the system design.