Enhancements to Continuum Plume Flowfield Models for Transitional Flow Simulations

Characteristics of missile plume signature emissions have a great potential to enhance defensive capabilities in a number of important areas related to Ballistic Missile Defense Systems (BMDS). Supporting MDA’s engineering applications related to missile typing, discrimination, tracking, algorithm development, etc. requires estimation of many parameters by the plume models, which can be very expensive for complex high-altitude targets that are not easily measured. High-fidelity, high altitude plume modeling of threat systems emphasizing IR signature is now at an advanced stage, utilizing a MDA-sponsored highly efficient, well-validated continuum CFD plume models which is coupled to a very accurate but computationally expensive DSMC plume model at a breakdown surface for hybrid simulations. Fortunately, significant efficiency can be realized by implementing state-of-the-art extensions of continuum methodology, proposed for Phase I, that will enable computationally-efficient, numerically robust and accurate simulations of high-altitude, missile plume flowfields in transitional and rarefied regimes. The simulations of the new extended continuum plume model will be validated against existing hybrid CFD/DSMC plume flowfield and IR signature predictions, providing a firm foundation for maturation of the MDA continuum plume model into a production-oriented capability with detailed validation, limitations and operational procedures clearly established during Phase II.