Plasma Wind Tunnel Testing as Support to the Design of Gas-Surface Interaction In-Flight Experiments

This paper describes part of the development activities for two flight experiments dedicated to the study of catalysis phenomena in atmospheric reentry conditions. Two low earth orbit reentry missions of the European Space Agency, EXPERT and IXV, are considered, as gas-surface interaction and catalysis phenomena are design driver parameters for their Thermal Protection Systems. Catalycity discontinuities, due to different materials junctions promote overheating effects along their surfaces, which have to be carefully handled to guarantee a safe heat shielding. The results of test campaigns performed at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics in such frame are summarized and discussed. They are dedicated to the ground simulation of the catalytic transition phenomenon under different probes configuration.

[1]  M. J. Lanfranco,et al.  Catalytic surface effects on space thermal protection system during Earth entry of flights STS-2 through STS-5 , 1983 .

[2]  Thomas Reimer.  The KERAMIK Thermal Protection System Experiment on the FOTON-M2 Mission , 2006 .

[3]  Monika Auweter-Kurtz,et al.  Advanced Integrated TPS and Non Equilibrium Chemistry Instrumentation , 2007 .

[4]  Y. Inouye,et al.  OREX flight - quick report and lessons learned , 1995 .

[5]  Hermann Hald,et al.  Reentry Flight Testing of a C/C-SiC Structure with Yttrium Silicate Oxidation Protection , 2006 .

[6]  R. E. Sheldahl,et al.  Effect of discontinuities in surface catalytic activity on laminar heat transfer in arc-heated nitrogen streams , 1966 .

[7]  T. Reimer.  An Advanced CMC Thermal Protection System Flight Experiment on the FOTON-M2 Mission , 2007 .

[8]  M. Fertig,et al.  Detailed Computation of the Aerothermodynamic Loads of the Mirka Capsule , 1999 .

[9]  J. Anderson,et al.  Hypersonic and High-Temperature Gas Dynamics , 2019 .

[10]  M. J. Lanfranco,et al.  Results of a flight experiment on the catalytic efficiency of the Space Shuttle heat shield , 1982 .

[11]  A. Kolesnikov,et al.  Experimental and Theoretical Simulation of Heterogeneous Catalysis in Aerothermochemistry (a Review) , 2005 .

[12]  Michael Winter,et al.  The In- Flight Sensor Systems PYREX, PHLUX and RESPECT for the Capsule EXPERT , 2006 .

[13]  Gérard Degrez,et al.  Aerothermodynamic design of an inductively coupled plasma wind tunnel , 1997 .

[14]  Monika Auweter-Kurtz,et al.  Surface characterization of metallic and ceramic TPS-materials for reusable space vehicles , 2006 .

[15]  Mario Carbonaro,et al.  Experimental and computational determination of the VKI Plasmatron operating envelope , 1999 .

[16]  Monika Auweter-Kurtz,et al.  German experiments developed for reentry missions , 1996 .

[17]  Olivier Chazot,et al.  Thermal Protection Material Characterization in Ground Plasma Testing , 2009 .

[18]  Paul Kolodziej,et al.  Wall catalysis experiment on AFE , 1988 .

[19]  Anatoly Kolesnikov,et al.  Overequilibrium heating of the surface of a heat-shield tile in a subsonic jet of dissociated air , 1991 .

[20]  Olivier Chazot,et al.  Flight Extrapolation of Plasma Wind Tunnel Stagnation Region Flowfield , 2006 .

[21]  Walter Krenkel,et al.  Tailoring of Microstructure in C/C-SiC Composites , 1995 .

[22]  Gianluca Rossi,et al.  Testing of the EXPERT Thermal Protection System Junction in a Plasma Wind Tunnel , 2009 .

[23]  M. J. Lanfranco,et al.  Catalytic surface effects experiment on the Space Shuttle , 1981 .