Porous Media Modelling for Transpiration Cooling Application

Transpiration Cooling has become a target of accurately modelling porous media material response for application to atmospheric entry heat shields. This study's goal is to first validate static heating without flow, and then take methods developed in static heating and adapt to replicate heating in hypersonic flow conditions. A coupled mesh supporting both solid material with porous properties and coolant gas interacts via heat exchanger at mesh nodes. Radiation from a laser head is applied as radiative surface heat flux boundary condition on the top of the sample. This interface has yielded sample backside and surface thermal response that seems to follow closely within the first half of recorded experimental data for the calibration case. This response seems to indicate sensitivity of applied radiative heating parameters. A design study of the impact of these parameters are in construction to evaluate what inputs are needed to correct material response for the latter temporal data. Numerical model setup for this study will be translated to a convective heating case, in which the sample is subject to high-speed flow and high enthalpy conditions.