Hypersonic flow simulations in OpenFOAM

HypersonicFOAM is an extended suite of solvers for hypersonic gas dynamics, developed within the OpenFOAM framework. It builds upon the foundations of hyStrath, adopting a modular and object-oriented C++ approach to enable advanced modeling of reacting, ionizing, and magnetized flows.

Refer to the hyStrath repository for additional context and development history. The original codebase provides:

• hyFoam: Solver for supersonic combusting flows.
• hy2Foam: Solver for hypersonic reacting flows.
• hy2MhdFoam: Extension of hy2Foam with magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) functionality.

This fork introduces several enhancements and new physics models, including:

• Kurganov scheme implementation for convective terms in species transport equations [3].
• Inclusion of electronic energy source terms due to ionization [4].
• Gupta mixing rules for thermochemical properties [4].
• Shielded Coulomb interactions (ion–electron, ion–ion, electron–electron) using Mason et al.'s approach [5].
• Appleton–Bray model for electron–translational (E–T) energy exchange [4].
• Shatalov's models for vibrational–translational (V–T) relaxation and oxygen dissociation [6].

This extension includes:

• rhoCentralReactingFoam: A supersonic reacting flow solver based on OpenFOAM's rhoCentralFoam, adapted for high-temperature gas dynamics.

git clone https://github.com/ivanZanardi/hypersonicfoam

cd hyStrath/  
./install-all.sh <np> 2>&1 | tee log.install

cd hyPoliMi/  
./install.sh <np> 2>&1 | tee log.install

Replace <np> with the desired number of processors for parallel compilation.

If you use HypersonicFOAM in your research, please cite:

@masterthesis{Zanardi2020Thesis,
  author  = {Ivan Zanardi},
  title   = {Effects of nonequilibrium oxygen dissociation and vibrational relaxation in hypersonic flows},
  school  = {Politecnico di Milano},
  address = {Via Lambruschini 15, building 20, ground floor, 20158 Milano, Italy},
  year    = {2020},
  url     = {http://hdl.handle.net/10589/154571}
}
@software{ivan_zanardi_2025_15604204,
  author       = {Ivan Zanardi},
  title        = {HypersonicFOAM: Hypersonic flow simulations in OpenFOAM},
  month        = {06},
  year         = {2025},
  publisher    = {Zenodo},
  version      = {v0.1.0},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.15604204},
  url          = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15604204},
}

This project is built upon hyStrath [1,2].

1. Casseau, V., Espinoza, D. E. R., Scanlon, T. J., Brown, R. E. (2016). A two-temperature open-source CFD model for hypersonic reacting flows, Part Two: Multi-dimensional analysis. Aerospace, 3(4), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace3040045

2. Casseau, V., Palharini, R. C., Scanlon, T. J., Brown, R. E. (2016). A two-temperature open-source CFD model for hypersonic reacting flows, Part One: Zero-dimensional analysis. Aerospace, 3(4), 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace3040034

3. Greenshields, C. J., Weller, H. G., Gasparini, L., Reese, J. M. (2010). Implementation of semi-discrete, non-staggered central schemes in a colocated, polyhedral, finite volume framework, for high-speed viscous flows. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 63(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/fld.2069

4. Gnoffo, P. A., Gupta, R. N., Shinn, J. L. (1989). Conservation equations and physical models for hypersonic air flows in thermal and chemical nonequilibrium (NASA Technical Memorandum 101440). NASA Langley Research Center. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19890006744

5. Mason, E. A., Munn, R. J., Smith, F. J. (1967). Transport coefficients of ionized gases. Physics of Fluids, 10(8), 1827–1832. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1762365

6. Ibraguimova, L. B., Sergievskaya, A. L., Levashov, V. Y., Shatalov, O. P., Tunik, Y. V., Zabelinskii, I. E. (2013). Investigation of oxygen dissociation and vibrational relaxation at temperatures 4000–10800 K. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 139(3), 034317. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4813070