When simulating complex flows, there are some physical situations that exhibit large fluctuations in particle density such as: planetary reentry, ablation due to arcing, rocket exhaust plumes, etc. When simulating these events, a high level of physical accuracy can be achieved with kinetic methods otherwise known as particle methods. However, this high level of physical accuracy requires large amounts of computation time. If the simulated flow is in collisional equilibrium, then less computationally intensive continuum methods, otherwise known as fluid methods, can be utilized. Hybrid Particle-Continuum (HPC) codes attempt to blend particle and fluid solutions in order to reduce computation time for transitional flows that exhibit both continuum and rarefied flow in a single domain. This thesis details the development of an HPC code in OpenFoam for Cal Poly's Aerospace Engineering department. The primary benchmark for the solver, named hybridFoam, was to simulate a 1D sod-shock simulation. This primary goal was achieved and a collection of test simulations were conducted to map out the solvers current capabilities and identify where future development efforts should focus.
","abstract_html":"<p>When simulating complex flows, there are some physical situations that exhibit large fluctuations in particle density such as: planetary reentry, ablation due to arcing, rocket exhaust plumes, etc. When simulating these events, a high level of physical accuracy can be achieved with kinetic methods otherwise known as particle methods. However, this high level of physical accuracy requires large amounts of computation time. If the simulated flow is in collisional equilibrium, then less computationally intensive continuum methods, otherwise known as fluid methods, can be utilized. Hybrid Particle-Continuum (HPC) codes attempt to blend particle and fluid solutions in order to reduce computation time for transitional flows that exhibit both continuum and rarefied flow in a single domain. This thesis details the development of an HPC code in OpenFoam for Cal Poly's Aerospace Engineering department. The primary benchmark for the solver, named hybridFoam, was to simulate a 1D sod-shock simulation. This primary goal was achieved and a collection of test simulations were conducted to map out the solvers current capabilities and identify where future development efforts should focus.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gay, Anthony J"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS in Aerospace Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Aerospace Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["David Marshall","Aerospace Engineering","College of Engineering"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-03-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-03-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:32:29Z","subjects":["CFD","Hybrid Particle Continuum","Code Development","Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics","Other Aerospace Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.15368/theses.2021.8"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.15368/theses.2021.8","href":"https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2021.8","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2258","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["David Marshall","Aerospace Engineering","College of Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gay, Anthony J"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-03-10T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS in Aerospace Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["CFD","Hybrid Particle Continuum","Code Development","Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics","Other Aerospace Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2258","10.15368/theses.2021.8"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["When simulating complex flows, there are some physical situations that exhibit large fluctuations in particle density such as: planetary reentry, ablation due to arcing, rocket exhaust plumes, etc. When simulating these events, a high level of physical accuracy can be achieved with kinetic methods otherwise known as particle methods. However, this high level of physical accuracy requires large amounts of computation time. If the simulated flow is in collisional equilibrium, then less computationally intensive continuum methods, otherwise known as fluid methods, can be utilized. Hybrid Particle-Continuum (HPC) codes attempt to blend particle and fluid solutions in order to reduce computation time for transitional flows that exhibit both continuum and rarefied flow in a single domain. This thesis details the development of an HPC code in OpenFoam for Cal Poly's Aerospace Engineering department. The primary benchmark for the solver, named hybridFoam, was to simulate a 1D sod-shock simulation. This primary goal was achieved and a collection of test simulations were conducted to map out the solvers current capabilities and identify where future development efforts should focus.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Development of a Hybrid Particle Continuum Solver"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["David Marshall","Aerospace Engineering","College of Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Gay, Anthony J"],"dc:date.available":["2021-03-10T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["When simulating complex flows, there are some physical situations that exhibit large fluctuations in particle density such as: planetary reentry, ablation due to arcing, rocket exhaust plumes, etc. When simulating these events, a high level of physical accuracy can be achieved with kinetic methods otherwise known as particle methods. However, this high level of physical accuracy requires large amounts of computation time. If the simulated flow is in collisional equilibrium, then less computationally intensive continuum methods, otherwise known as fluid methods, can be utilized. Hybrid Particle-Continuum (HPC) codes attempt to blend particle and fluid solutions in order to reduce computation time for transitional flows that exhibit both continuum and rarefied flow in a single domain. This thesis details the development of an HPC code in OpenFoam for Cal Poly's Aerospace Engineering department. The primary benchmark for the solver, named hybridFoam, was to simulate a 1D sod-shock simulation. This primary goal was achieved and a collection of test simulations were conducted to map out the solvers current capabilities and identify where future development efforts should focus.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2258","10.15368/theses.2021.8"],"dc:subject":["CFD","Hybrid Particle Continuum","Code Development","Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics","Other Aerospace Engineering"],"dc:title":["Development of a Hybrid Particle Continuum Solver"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aerospace Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS in Aerospace Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:32:29Z"}