Experimental validation of a test gas substitution for simulating non-equilibrium giant planet entry conditions in impulse facilities

Yu, Lan; James, Christopher M.; Morgan, Richard G.; McIntyre, Timothy J.

doi:10.1007/s00348-020-03032-3

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 30 publications

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“…The use of Stalker substitution to expand the operating envelope of ground test facilities has been investigated in detail at the University of Queensland [20]. This technique presents an exciting opportunity to reach higher and higher shock speeds, however the science of exactly how such scaled test conditions can be related to flight, particularly where radiative heat flux is concerned, would benefit from further study.…”

Section: Performance Envelope Expansionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shock Radiation Tests for Ice Giant Entry Probes Including CH4 in the T6 Free-Piston Driven Wind Tunnel

Steer

Collen

Glenn

et al. 2023

AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum

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The Ice Giants, Uranus and Neptune, represent a largely unexplored, interstitial class of planetary objects that fit between the Gas Giants and the smaller terrestrial worlds, such as Earth, in terms of their size and elemental composition and are therefore a missing link in our understanding of extrasolar planetary evolution. The scientific potential of a mission to the Ice Giants is well recognised and has been identified by NASA and ESA as a high priority on several occasions, most recently in the 2023 -2032 Decadal Survey. The payload capacity of such a spacecraft is limited by the requirement for a bulky heat shield, made necessary by the paucity of ground test data for convective and radiative heat flux at proposed entry trajectories. This paper describes an experimental study of shock layer radiation via emission spectroscopy at Ice Giant entry conditions in the T6 free-piston driven wind tunnel. Shock waves of up to 18.9 km s −1 were driven through H/He mixtures containing up to 5% CH 4 by mole. The magnitude of spectral radiance at the peak and in the immediate post-shock region appears to be strongly affected by the concentration of CH 4 in the test gas. Thorough cleaning of the shock tube between each test was found to be very important for obtaining high quality data given the relatively low signal levels.

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Section: Performance Envelope Expansionmentioning

confidence: 99%