Numerical Study of the Catalytic Jump Effect in the IXV-CATE Experiment

Simulations 2D and 3D of the catalytic surface and jump effects are done, in the framework of the in-flight CATE experiment, on the TPS of the ESA IXV re-entry vehicle. Different Mach conditions are tested using the commercial software CFD++ and the research code COOLFluiD. The results correctly describe the surface catalytic effect, and they make a first step towards a more physical simulation of the heat flux jump at the TPS catalytic properties discontinuity.