A study on numerical simulation method for transient heat transfer in metallic thermal protection systems

A computational model for the combined radiation and conduction heat transfer processes in metallic thermal protection systems(MTPS), composed of a high-temperature metallic honeycomb sandwich panel and the underneath fibrous multilayer thermal insulation, under aerodynamic heating environment was presented. Monte Carlo method was used for the three-dimensional radiative transfer between honeycomb wall enclosures and for the one-dimensional radiative transfer process in each fibrous layer. The energy equation of coupled transfer processes in MTPS was solved by a finite volume method. The heat transfer characteristics and transient thermal responses of a MTPS with specified configurations were simulated and analysed numerically. Results show that metallic honey comb sandwich panels have little influences on MTPS thermal responses. The increase in emittance of honeycomb core results in significant decrease in temperature difference between the honeycomb surfaces. And finally the time-varying gas pressure has obvious influences on MTPS transient thermal responses.