Numerical model of jet impingement and particle trajectories in extraterrestrial landing events using an euler-lagrange method

This paper presents a numerical model and simulations of a jet flow expelled into a low-pressure environment and impinging on a smooth wall. The model is used to understand the trajectory of regolith ejecta using an Euler-Lagrangian multiphase method, where the gas flow is solved as a continuous phase and Lagrangian particle tracking is used for the regolith phase. The flow is consistent with conditions expected on the martian surface where the continuum assumption is valid, where the Eulerian phase is solved using the Navier Stokes equations and the Lagrangian phase equations of motion are solved directly from the forces experienced by each particle. The flow is solved for a 30 degree wedge representing a portion of an impinging jet flow, such that the 3D effects can be analyzed at reduced computational cost. Using these results, the velocity of the particle phase was extracted to estimate the potential destructive impact of regolith ejecta in the context of landing in continuum conditions.