The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aero-thermo-dynamic Analysis (PraVaHa). It is a computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software.
- This software was developed in ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
- It can simulate external and internal flows on launch vehicles, winged and non winged re-entry vehicles.
- Initial aerodynamic design studies for launch vehicles demand evaluation of a large number of configurations.
- Any aerospace vehicle while moving through the Earth’s atmosphere during launch or re-entry is subjected to severe aerodynamic and aerothermal loads in terms of external pressure and heat flux.
- Understanding the airflow around aircraft, rocket bodies, or Crew Module (CM) during earth re-entry is essential to design the shape, structure, and Thermal Protection System (TPS) required for these bodies.
- PraVaHa has been used extensively in the Gaganyaan program for aerodynamic analysis of human-rated launch vehicles, viz, HLVM3, Crew Escape System (CES), and CM.
