CFD calculation of heat fluxes in turbulent flow for pioneer-venus probes

The distribution of the turbulent convective heat transfer rate on the surface of the ablating heatshield of the Pioneer-Venus Day Probe is calculated using CFD. The Venusian atmosphere is assumed to consist of CO₂, and the shock layer is assumed to be in chemical nonequilibrium. Eleven chemical species are accounted for. The turbulence energy is calculated using a one-equation model accounting for the finiteness of turbulence energy at wall according the theory of Park. The result shows that the convective heating rate decreases due to the injection at the stagnation point but increases greatly in the downstream region. This is in agreement with the Pioneer-Venus flight data.