Plume and wall temperature impact on the subsonic aft-body flow of a generic space launcher geometry

Experimental and numerical simulation of launcher base flows are crucial for future launcher design. In experiments, exhaust plume simulation is often limited to cold or slightly heated gases. In numerical simulations, multi-species reactive flow is often neglected due to limited resources. The impact of these simplifications on the relevant flow features, compared to real flight scenarios, needs to be characterized in order to enhance the design process. Experimental and numerical investigations were carried out within the framework of the SFB/TRR 40 Collaborative Research Centre to study the impact of plume and wall temperature on the base flow of a generic small-scale launcher configuration. Wind tunnel tests were performed in the Hot Plume Testing Facility (HPTF) at DLR, Cologne, using subsonic ambient flow and pressurized air or hydrogen–oxygen combustion as exhaust gases. The tests were numerically rebuilt using the DLR TAU code employing a scale-resolved IDDES approach, including thermal coupling and detailed chemistry. The paper combines the experimental and numerical findings from the SFB/TRR 40 base flow studies and highlights the most prominent influences on the mean flow field, the pressure field, the dynamic wake flow motion, and the resulting aerodynamic forces on the nozzle. High-frequency pressure measurements, high-speed schlieren recordings, and time-resolved CFD results are evaluated using spectral and modal analysis of the one- and two-dimensional flow field data.