Hypersonic reacting flow simulations: Toward modular adjoint-based sensitivity analysis

This work presents current progress in hypersonic reacting flow simulations. Hypersonic flows are abundant in aerospace applications and their accurate simulation requires the inclusion of detailed thermochemical models. Choices in the models and numerical methods used are critical for the accuracy, reliability, and the computational cost of the simulations. In this work, a numerical solver for the Navier-Stokes equations based on high-order finite-differences is extended to include finite-rate chemistry effects. This solver is coupled with the open-source library Mutation++ to handle the thermodynamics and chemical kinetics of real gas mixtures. Different numerical approaches for solving the equations are discussed and the influence of the choices of thermophysical models is considered. The results are focused on benchmark cases of flat-plate boundary layers and jet injections in cross-flow. Finally, capabilities for linear-adjoint-based sensitivity analysis are introduced and extended to include finite-rate chemistry and real-gas effects.