DSMC Analysis of Pressure Effect on Low-Density Nozzle Flow

The flow in low-density plumes expanding into a region of finite pressure shows a quite different behavior from that observed in low-density plumes expanding into a vacuum. The flow structure in the plume varies depending on applied ambient and stagnation chamber conditions. In the present study, the direct simulation Monte-Carlo (DSMC) method based on molecular gas dynamics is employed in the analysis of low-density gas flows expanding through a small converging/diverging nozzle. Special attention has been paid to the effect of non-zero ambient and stagnation pressures on the flow structure which has rarely been studied using the DSMC method.