Question
Can Flownex be used to model hypersonic internal flow applications, such as a hypersonic wind tunnel? Users may find that standard pressure boundary conditions do not produce Mach numbers greater than 1, while mass source or volumetric flow source boundary conditions may fail to converge when attempting to model supersonic or hypersonic flows.
Answer
Flownex can model supersonic flows using the Exit Thrust Nozzle component. This is the only component specifically intended to model flow conditions where the Mach number exceeds 1.
If a model using standard components and boundary conditions does not achieve Mach numbers above 1, this is expected behavior because these components are generally not intended to represent choked and supersonic flow expansion. To model supersonic or hypersonic internal flow conditions, an Exit Thrust Nozzle should be incorporated into the network and configured appropriately for the desired operating conditions.