Launch Environment Water Flow Simulation Using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

Speaker: Bruce Vu, Engineering Design Analysis Branch, NASA Kennedy Space Center
April 15, 2014

Presentation

Abstract

The advantage of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is that it is a meshfree, nodal collocation, spatial discretization, kernel approximation method; therefore, the pre-processing step is completely avoided and grid quality is no longer an issue. Like other particle methods, SPH was known for its computationally intensive drawback. However, that has been overcome with the recent advances of Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) technology.

One of the crucial ground structures employed at the launch pad is the rainbird nozzle system, whose primary objective is to suppress acoustic energy generated by the launch vehicle during nominal operations. It is important that the rainbird water flow does not impinge on the rocket nozzles and other sensitive ground support elements. So, the question becomes "Will the rainbird water throw get these objects wet?"

The presentation will summarize NASA KSC's latest effort in numerical simulation of water flow using SPH in an attempt to answer the question above. The simulation is performed for nominal launch and pad abort operations.

Biography

Bruce Vu is currently an acting chief of the Engineering Design Analysis branch at NASA Kennedy Space Center. He started his NASA career in 1987 as a research assistant in the Fluid Mechanics Lab at NASA Ames, and then joined NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in 1989 before moving to NASA Kennedy Space Center in 2002. He has been the fluid systems lead since 2008. His group is responsible for the launch-induced environment that could have a significant impact on the ground support elements. His recent research interests are deflagration detonation transition and smoothed particle hydrodynamics. He is also an adjunct professor at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne and University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Vu received his undergraduate degree in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering from UC Davis in 1987, Masters in Mechanical Engineering from University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1991 and doctorate in Aerospace Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1999.

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