Numerical Assessment of Magnetohydrodynamic Heat Flux Mitigation for Pico-Sized Entry Capsule Mockup

Müller, Ralf; Pagan, Adam S.; Upadhyay, Partho Pratim; Herdrich, Georg

doi:10.2514/1.t5679

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The magnetic field needed to Fig. 4 Magnetic field configuration, adapted from [16] create sufficient impact is required to be very strong with field strengths on the order of several Tesla.…”

Section: Principles Of Operationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetohydrodynamic Enhanced Entry System for Space Transportation (MEESST) as a Key Building Block for Future Exploration Missions

Bögel¹,

Betancourt²,

Collier-Wright³

2021

AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2021 Forum

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Aside from the launch environment, atmospheric re-entry imposes one of the most demanding environments which a spacecraft can experience. The combination of high spacecraft velocity and the presence of atmospheric particles leads to partially ionised gas forming around the vehicle, which significantly inhibits radio communications, and leads to the generation of high thermal loads on the spacecraft surface. Currently, the latter is solved using expensive, heavy, and often expendable thermal protection systems (TPS). The use of electromagnetic fields to exploit Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) principles has long been considered as an attractive solution for this problem. By displacing the ionised gas away from the spacecraft, the thermal loads can be reduced, while also opening a magnetic window for radio waves, mitigating the blackout phenomenon. The application of this concept has to date not been possible due to the large magnetic fields required, which would necessitate the use of exceptionally massive and power-hungry copper coils. High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) have now reached industrial maturity. HTS coils can now offer the necessary low weight and compactness required for space applications. The MEESST consortium the has been awarded a grant from the EU Horizon 2020 programme for the development and demonstration of a novel HTS-based re-entry system based with its foundation on MHD principles. The project will first harmonize existing numerical codes, and then design, manufacture, and test a HTS magnet. The study shows that the use of MEESST technology can have a positive impact on the cost-effectiveness and available payload of interplanetary missions.

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Section: Principles Of Operationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetohydrodynamic Enhanced Entry System for Space Transportation (MEESST) as a Key Building Block for Future Exploration Missions

Bögel¹,

Betancourt²,

Collier-Wright³

2021

AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2021 Forum

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“…Objects blocking high-speed plasma beams will cause plasma compression, followed by the formation and the dissipation of shockwave disturbances [4,5]. Such processes involving the nature of the plasma shockwave are widely applicable in various fields such as atmospheric reentry [6,7], plasma diagnostic [8], target measurement [9], and fusion [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient buildup and dissipation of a compressed plasma shockwave in arc-discharge plasma beams

Zhang¹,

Fu²,

Zhang³

et al. 2021

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

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Electric propulsion offers the advantage of a high specific impulse through a large exhaust velocity and has seen significant progress in space flight applications. Recently, we observed a transient plasma shockwave during pulsed plasma thruster operation when the plasma beam impacted a probe surface. However, details regarding the plasma shockwave formation are still unknown. This work is an experimental investigation of the compression-induced plasma shockwave in the presence of a planar obstruction. To study the complete shockwave buildup and dissipation process, an ultra-high-speed imaging system was set up to visualize the time-resolved shockwave morphology at a sub-microsecond level. In addition, the local magnetic field and plasma density were measured using 2-D magnetic coils and a triple Langmuir probe, respectively. The successive images of the shockwave give us a comprehensive understanding of the shockwave buildup process. During the 12 μs operational period of the thruster, two shockwaves were formed during the first cycle of the discharge. It is also interesting to note that there is a 1 μs dissipation period between the two shockwaves with the same cloud of plasma compressing against the probe surface. A shockwave model is also developed to predict the appearance of the two shockwaves. The implication is that the local magnetic field strength can be a key indicator for the plasma shockwave buildup and dissipation process.

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A Magnetohydrodynamic enhanced entry system for space transportation: MEESST

Lani

Sharma

Giangaspero

et al. 2023

Journal of Space Safety Engineering

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Numerical Assessment of Magnetohydrodynamic Heat Flux Mitigation for Pico-Sized Entry Capsule Mockup

Cited by 11 publications

References 8 publications

Magnetohydrodynamic Enhanced Entry System for Space Transportation (MEESST) as a Key Building Block for Future Exploration Missions

Magnetohydrodynamic Enhanced Entry System for Space Transportation (MEESST) as a Key Building Block for Future Exploration Missions

Transient buildup and dissipation of a compressed plasma shockwave in arc-discharge plasma beams

A Magnetohydrodynamic enhanced entry system for space transportation: MEESST

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