Improvement in Efficiency of Blunt Cone Drag and Heat Reduction by Combination of Aerospike and Partition Jets

To mitigate the severe aerodynamic and thermal loads on high-speed vehicles, a combined control approach employing an aerospike and a partition jet system is investigated. The influence of jet position on flow field behavior, drag reduction and thermal load management is examined. Using the SST k-ω turbulence model integrated into a finite-volume framework, the study conducts numerical simulations by solving the three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations at a flight altitude of 30 km and Mach 5. Considering that the reverse force generated by the top and bottom jets would cause an increase in drag along the direction of motion, the lateral jet contributes more significantly to the drag reduction. The combination of the aerospike and multi-zone jets performs better in terms of drag reduction and thermal protection than single-zone jet strategies. Among them, the scheme with simultaneous jets at three positions has the highest drag reduction efficiency, up to 230%, but it requires the most working medium. Through the comprehensive analysis of the heat and drag reduction efficiency, the lateral jet is the optimal configuration.