Flow of a dispersed phase in the Laval nozzle and in the test section of a two-phase hypersonic shock tunnel

An unsteady gas-particle flow in a hypersonic shock tunnel is studied numerically. The study is performed in the period from the instant when the diaphragm between the high-pressure and low-pressure chambers is opened until the end of the transition to a quasi-steady flow in the test section. The dispersed phase concentration is extremely low, and the collisions between the particles and their effect on the carrier gas flow are ignored. The particle size is varied. The time evolution of the particle concentration in the test section is obtained. Patterns of the quasi-steady flow of the dispersed phase in the throat of the Laval nozzle and the flow around a model (sphere) are presented. Particle concentration and particle velocity lag profiles at the test-section entrance are obtained. The particle-phase flow structure and the time needed for it to reach a quasi-steady regime are found to depend substantially on the particle size.