Hypersonic Flows and Computational Modeling

Ozgur Tumuklu is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign in 2018, where he studied hypersonic flow instabilities using kinetic methods. He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher on the Artemis Program at NASA JPL. His research focuses on computational physics, particularly rarefied nonequilibrium flows and flow instabilities.

Hypersonic Flows and Computational Modeling

Hypersonic flows are often characterized by unsteady shock interactions, flow instabilities, transition to turbulence, and localized regions of high pressure and heating. These phenomena become even more complex in the presence of thermochemical nonequilibrium, rarefaction, and three-dimensional effects, and can strongly influence the design and performance of hypersonic materials and vehicles. Understanding these flow features and how to control them is important for future hypersonic systems. With this aim in mind, in this seminar, I will present recent work from the Hypersonic Aerothermal Vehicle Analysis Laboratory on the physics and modeling of unsteady hypersonic flows. The presentation will provide an overview of kinetic, continuum, and hybrid computational approaches for shock-dominated, expanding, and re-entry flows, with an emphasis on nonequilibrium effects, aeroelastic response, and emerging flow-control strategies, including magnetohydrodynamic interactions that modify shock structure, drag, and surface heating.

Spatial variation of the spanwise velocities (m/s) at (a) x= 0.025, (b) x= 0.04, (c) x= 0.05, and (d) x= 0.064 m constant planes along with (e) the surface heating values (W/m2) and surface streamlines superimposed with the magnitude of density gradient in the grayscale for the Mach 7 flow over a double wedge.