Numerical and experimental study of high enthalpy flows in a hypersonic plasma wind tunnel: L3K

Kim, Minkwan, Koch, Uwe, Esser, Burkard and Gülhan, Ali (2011) Numerical and experimental study of high enthalpy flows in a hypersonic plasma wind tunnel: L3K. In 42nd AIAA Thermophysics Conference.

Abstract

In the present study, we describe the end-to-end model of a plasma wind tunnel. A plasma wind tunnel is an useful facility for the ground-based experiment of high enthalpy flows including hypersonic flows, because it can provides a similar flows environment which is experienced by a vehicle during hypersonic ights. For the experimental research of high enthalpy flows, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Cologne research facility has an arc heated plasma wind tunnel, L3K. The accurate prediction of flows characteristics is very important to calibrate measurement devices and choose measurement methods in a plasma wind tunnel experiment. However, it is difficult to understand the detailed flows conditions of a plasma wind tunnel, because the flows inside a plasma wind tunnel is usually in strong chemical and thermal non-equilibrium state. we numerically simulate a high enthalpy flows inside a plasma wind tunnel using a multi-temperature model and compare with the measured data using CARS method. The numerical model of a plasma wind tunnel will be useful to design a new wind tunnel and determine flows conditions at the test section of a plasma wind tunnel.

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Contributors

Author: Minkwan Kim

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