INFORMATIVO ABCM Nº 004/10- Pesquisador Visitante no INPE

Fonte: Prof . Wilson F.N. Santos (INPE)

Pesquisador Visitante

O Dr. Wilson F. N. Santos informa a comunidade científica da ABCM que, com suporte financeiro da FAPESP, o Prof. Mikhail S. Ivanov atuará como Pesquisador Visitante no Laboratório Associado de Combustão e Propulsão (LCP) do Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) durante o mês de fevereiro de 2010. Durante este período, o Prof. Ivanov ministrará, entre outras atividades, um minicurso sobre o método DSMC (Direct Simulation Monte Carlo).

Para mais informações entrar em contato com wilson@lcp.inpe.br ou (12) 3186-9265.

Professor Mikhail S. Ivanov

Professor Mikhail S. Ivanov is the Head of Computational Aerodynamics Laboratory in the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.

The research interests of Prof. Ivanov were related to theoretical validation of the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo methods for rarefied gas flows and development of new numerical schemes of the DSMC. Much attention was paid to analysis of the connection of statistical simulation results with the solution of the Boltzmann equation. Effective numerical schemes of the DSMC method developed by Prof. Ivanov for rarefied flows allowed a significant expansion of the scope of problems of spacecraft aerothermodynamics with real gas effects. He was a pioneer to study numerically the special features of the flow around concave bodies and efficiency of aerodynamic control surfaces at high flight altitudes. It was shown that excitation of vibrational degrees of freedom of molecules and chemical reactions change the qualitative flow pattern near concave bodies and significantly affect the efficiency of aerodynamic control surfaces.

New algorithms of parallelization of the DSMC method developed under his supervision made it possible to study near-continuum flows at the kinetic level for the first time, which allowed him to analyze the applicability of the Navies-Stokes equations to description of flows with low but finite Knudsen numbers.

His recent activity deals with theoretical and experimental studies of the transition from regular to Mach reflection of strong shock waves in steady flows. Based on numerical studies, Prof. Ivanov proved for the first time the presence of a hysteresis in transition from regular to Mach reflection (and back) of strong shock waves. The problems of stability of regular and Mach configurations of shock waves to various types of perturbations are numerically studied, and it is shown that the type of reflection can be changed at a certain level of perturbations. The experimental studies revealed a significant influence of three-dimensional effects on the reflection process.

A distinctive feature of Prof. Ivanov’s activity is a successful integration of theoretical studies and their applications in practical problems of high-altitude aerothermodynamics. He had previously and continues close cooperation with Russian space industry (Rocket Space Corporation “Energia”, Lavochkin Scientific-Industrial Center, Scientific-Industrial Center “Red Star”, etc.). Many of his works have been awarded by the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Machine Building for winning special competitions on aerospace sciences. Last years, Prof. Ivanov has active cooperation with the Russian Aerospace Agency and European Space Agency in the field of high altitude aerodynamics of satellites, space stations, and reentry capsules. Prof. Ivanov was the Principal Investigator from the Russian side during the creation of RAMSES (rarefied aerodynamics modeling system for Earth satellites), SCARAB (system for prediction of disintegration of satellites during reentry) and ANGARA (system for prediction of direct and indirect solar pressure on space satellites) systems for ESOC/ESA.

The research group of Professor Ivanov has a significant effort in the simulation of low-to-moderate Reynolds number hypersonic laminar separated flows. Up to now the nature of these flows has not been well understood because the continuum approach (Navier-Stokes equations) can be inapplicable and the kinetic approach (the DSMC method) is difficult to be used for such near-continuum flows. However, the use of special modifications of the DSMC method allowed obtaining of credible data for laminar separated flows. A comparison with the results obtained by the group using the Navier-Stokes equations with slip conditions allowed the assessment of the area of applicability of the continuum approach for description of shock wave/laminar boundary layer interactions.

The most recent problem considered by Prof. Ivanov’s group is the study of low Reynolds number flows inside micronozzles. These highly viscous flows are poorly studied and are of extreme practical importance for the development of micropropulsion systems for very small satellites. Numerical predictions show a dramatic decrease in the discharge coefficient and specific impulse as the Reynolds number decreases from thousands to hundreds.

During last years, Prof. Ivanov was a Visiting Professor at various higher technical colleges and universities throughout the world. He was the Principal Investigator in many national and international research grants (RFBR, ISF, DFG, INTAS, ISTC, and CRDF).