Aero-thermodynamics for conceptual design

A software tool for the prediction of the aero-thermodynamic environments of conceptual aerospace configurations is presented. The vehicle geometry is defined using unstructured, triangulated surface meshes. For subsonic Mach numbers a fast, unstructured, multi-pole panel code is coupled with a streamline tracing formulation to define the viscous surface solution. For supersonic and hypersonic Mach numbers, various independent panel methods are coupled with the streamline tracing formulation, an attachment line detection method, and stagnation-attachment line heating models to define the viscous aero-thermal environment.