Abstract
During an atmospheric reentry mission, deceleration is a major issue. The main way to slow down a vehicle is to rely on the drag force induced by the friction with the air. However, due to the high speeds reached by the vehicle, the friction induces intense heating of the structure of the vehicle. To counter this, the authors present a new method based on the ionization of the flow around the vehicle with a plasma actuator leading to the deceleration of the vehicle. The main point of this technique is that it allows the vehicle to be slowed in the highest layers of the atmosphere before it endures the harsh conditions produced by atmospheric friction.
This paper introduces the implementation of the plasma actuator on a beveled flat plate, which is a classic model in aerodynamic studies. The reentry conditions are simulated with the super/hypersonic low-density wind tunnel MARHy (Mach Adaptable Rarefied Hypersonic) located in the ICARE laboratory. The method involves two steps: the manufacturing of the plasma actuator and the settling of the wind tunnel to deliver the chosen flow conditions. The experimental setup is carefully designed for high-speed flows, high temperatures and, in our case, low pressures.
For the study of aerodynamics, three types of diagnostics are utilized: an intensified camera for the visualization of the flow, an infrared camera to follow the evolution in time of the distribution of the surface temperatures, and a Pitot probe used for the mapping of the flow pressures around the model. This method is used as the basis for our experiments and is adapted according to the flow later generated by the wind tunnel, the shape of the plasma actuator, or the applied diagnostics.
