Assessment of high enthalpy flow conditions for re-entry aerothermodynamics in the plasma wind tunnel facilities at IRS

Loehle, Stefan and Zander, Fabian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0597-9556 and Eberhart, Martin and Hermann, Tobias and Meindl, Arne and Massuti-Ballester, Bartomeu and Leiser, David and Hufgard, Fabian and Pagan, Adam S. and Herdrich, Georg and Fasoulas, Stefanos (2022) Assessment of high enthalpy flow conditions for re-entry aerothermodynamics in the plasma wind tunnel facilities at IRS. CEAS Space Journal, 14 (2). pp. 395-406. ISSN 1868-2502

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Abstract

This article presents the full operational experimental capabilities of the plasma wind tunnel facilities at the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart. The simulation of the aerothermodynamic environment experienced by vehicles entering the atmosphere of Earth is attempted using three different facilities. Utilizing the three different facilities, the recent improvements enable a unique range of flow conditions in relation to other known facilities. Recent performance optimisations are highlighted in this article. Based on the experimental conditions demonstrated a corresponding fight scenario is derived using a ground-to-fight extrapolation approach based on local mass-specific enthalpy, total pressure and boundary layer edge velocity gradient. This shows that the three facilities cover the challenging parts of the aerothermodynamics along
the entry trajectory from Low Earth Orbit. Furthermore, the more challenging conditions arising during interplanetary return at altitudes above 70 km are as well covered.

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Item Type:	Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Current - Institute for Advanced Engineering and Space Sciences (1 Aug 2018 -)
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Current - Institute for Advanced Engineering and Space Sciences (1 Aug 2018 -)
Date Deposited:	02 Dec 2021 05:07
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2022 04:56
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Enthalpy flow; Experimental conditions; Flow condition; High enthalpy flow field; Institute of Space Systems; Performance optimizations; Plasma wind tunnels; Recent performance; Space transportations; Wind-tunnel facilities
Fields of Research (2008):	09 Engineering > 0901 Aerospace Engineering > 090199 Aerospace Engineering not elsewhere classified
Fields of Research (2020):	40 ENGINEERING > 4001 Aerospace engineering > 400199 Aerospace engineering not elsewhere classified
Identification Number or DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-021-00396-y
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/44176

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