OpenFOAMTM simulation of the shock wave reflection in unsteady flow

Abstract

This work studies the impact of a shock wave traveling with non-constant velocity over straight surfaces, generating an unsteady and complex reflection process. Two types of shock waves generated by sudden energy released are studied: cylindrical and spherical. Several numerical tests were developed considering different distances between the shock wave origin and the reflecting surface. The Kurganov, Noelle, and Petrova (KNP) scheme implemented in the rhoCentralFoam solver of the OpenFOAMTM software is used to reproduce the different shock wave reflections and their transitions. The numerical simulations of the reflected angle, Mach number of the shock wave, and position of the triple point are compared with pseudo-steady theory numerical and experimental studies. The numerical results show good accuracy for the reflected angle and minor differences for the Mach number. However, the triple point position is more difficult to predict. The KNP scheme in the form used in this work demonstrates the ability to capture the phenomena involved in the unsteady reflections.