The direct simulation Monte Carlo particle simulation method and its applications.
Tom Schwartzentruber
2:30 PM on 2008-02-08
An overview of the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) particle method will be presented. The major physical modeling assumptions and the numerical implementation of the method will be discussed in context with continuum Navier-Stokes (NS) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) modeling approaches. The advantages and disadvantages of each method will be highlighted and the motivation behind coupling such methods in a multi-scale framework will be underlined. Recent results obtained by applying a hybrid DSMC-NS algorithm to hypersonic shock-interaction and blunt-body flows will be shown. The potential of coupled DSMC-MD simulations for understanding physical processes such as ablation, surface catalysis, and the resulting heating rates on hypersonic vehicles will be discussed. Finally, open research projects involving particle simulation and multi-scale methods within the AEM department at the University of Minnesota will be outlined.