Accuracy Analysis of DSMC Chemistry Models Applied to a Normal Shock Wave

A preliminary validation study of three DSMC chemistry models, two recent and one standard, is presented. First the 2D geometry and numerical approach used to simulate the shock experiments is verified. Next, 2 different vibrational relaxation models are validated by comparison with data for the M=9.3 case where dissociation is small in the nonequilibrium region of the shock. Finally, the 3 DSMC chemistry model results are compared for the M=13.4 case where nonequilbrium dissociation (in the region where the vibrational temperature is greatly different from the rotational and translational temperature) is important. It is shown that the peak vibrational temperature is very sensitive to vibrational favoring in the chemistry model and that the vibrationally-favored KSS model predicts the measured peak quite well.