Inductively-coupled "Plasmatron“ wind-tunnel produces high-enthalpy plasma flows representative of atmospheric entry flows for fundamental studies and material characterization.
- Test gases: argon, air, nitrogen, carbon-dioxide, custom mixtures
- Electrical power:1.2 MW/m2
- max. heat flux: 15 MW/m2
- total pressure range: 5 - 350 hPa
The high purity plasma is generated by electrical induction heating (400kHz, 2kV, 8kA solid-state generator) in a 200mm diameter quartz tube in the absence of electrodes. Test objects are mounted 300-500mm behind the typically subsonic torch exit of 160mm diameter. Supersonic nozzles of various exit diameters reaching Ma = 3.5 high-temperature flows can be attached to the torch exit, including a semielliptical nozzle for flat plate measurements.
The plasma temperature around the test object can exceed 10,000K, at typically low-speed (incompressible) flows to reproduce the aerothermochemical environment of an atmospheric entry object (typically spacecraft, meteor, or debris). This is done following the Local Heat Transfer Simulation (LHTS) methodology reproducing enthalpy, pressure, and Damköhler number.
The facility is computer controlled using a 719 I/O lines PLC, and two PC’s for controlling and monitoring the Plasmatron operation. Available instrumentation includes intrusive pitot pressure and heat flux probes, emission spectrometers with ICCD camera, several broad, double, and single-band radiometers, as well as scientific observation cameras. In addition, a dedicated laser-spectroscopy laboratory is currently being developed for plasma diagnostics.
Advanced numerical modelling capability is also available to assist in designing experiments, to extract more information from test results, and for relating test conditions to flight.
Main applications are
- fundamental studies of plasma and reentry flows
- thermal protection material characterization and qualification (carbon/carbon, carbon/phenolic, ceramics, insulators, alloys)
- space debris demise analysis and characterization
