Simulated Transient Evolutionary Plume Signature (STEPS)

Nonsteady plume signatures can result from transient engine operating conditions (e.g., start-up, shut-down) or evolutionary vehicle flight conditions (acceleration, ascent). Current standard codes assume constant engine/flight conditions as for a steady engine burn in a ground static test. An advanced simulation capability is proposed to provide time-continuous multi-scale nonsteady plume signatures for transient/evolutionary engine/flight conditions throughout and beyond the boost phase. The simulation incorporates rigorous first-principles physical models and efficient stable numerical methods adopted from an existing steady-state simulation tool. The proposed innovative extension to nonsteady conditions is designed to provide reliable robust fully-automated on-line computations to support real-time dynamic engagement simulations.