Numerical Modeling of the Translational and Chemical Disequilibria in the Front of a Strong Shock Wave

The problem of the pattern of a strong viscous shock wave in a translationally nonequilibrium dissociating gas is considered. Calculations are performed for the beam–continuum model, which takes into account the effect of rarefaction in the continuum flow. It is analyzed how a high-enthalpy flow is affected by the translational disequilibrium caused by an effective decrease in the activation energies of chemical reactions relative to the kinetic energy of the molecules in the beam. The calculation of the shock wave pattern in translationally and chemically nonequilibrium air shows that some thermochemical parameters differ considerably from their equilibrium values.