High enthalpy testing of UHTC materials for space applications

Space vehicles are subjected to severe heat loads when entering a planetary atmosphere and require a powerful thermal protection system (TPS). The protection systems’ thermal efficiency can strongly be enhanced by using surface materials with substantial radiative cooling capabilities, which are directly correlated to high operational temperatures. Accordingly, ablative and UHTC materials are well-suited for use in TPS structures. Due to their physical integrity, UHTC materials are an appropriate choice for future reusable space vehicles, which are requiring improved thermal efficiencies compared with state-of-the-art systems, resulting from demands on enhanced flight performance parameters [1]. Advanced stages of material development include experimental characterization and qualification at realistic environmental conditions. Arc-heated facilities, as e.g. DLR’s arc heated facilities LBK with its two test legs L2K and L3K, are well suited for testing materials for thermal protection issues, since they allow for testing at realistic convective and catalytic heat fluxes. During the last decades, several test conditions have been established in L2K and L3K and were applied to both, ablative and UHTC materials. Heat fluxes range up to more than 10 MW/m2.Typical test configurations for UHTC materials are illustrated in Figure 1. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

High Enthalpy Ablation Testing at DLR Cologne

Testing thermal protection capabilities of ablative materials is one of the main working areas of DLR’s arc heated facilities LBK in Cologne. Work on this particular topic has been intensified about five years ago with the following major focus points: Significant improvement of the facilities testing capabilities with respect to cold wall heat flux rates and stagnation pressure. Ablation testing in Martian atmosphere. Influence of dust particle erosion on ablation

High Enthalpy Flow Characterization Using Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

This research aims at analysing thermo-chemical properties of the hypersonic high-enthalpy flow in the L2K wind tunnel, situated in Köln at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In the L2K wind tunnel, Martian atmosphere can be created, and the facility can simulate heat load conditions encountered during atmospheric entry of Martian missions. The focus of this project is the analysis of the non-intrusive experimental technique "Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy" (TDLAS), based on line of sight absorption spectroscopy, and applied to hypersonic flow. A simplified Martian atmosphere (97% CO2 and 3% N2) was used. A new interpretation for CO-TDLAS experimental technique applied to hypersonic wind tunnel flow analysis was developed. Numerical simulations with the DLR-TAU non-equilibrium flow solver were used as support of this analysis, and match between simulations and experiments was observed. Flow speed and absorption line’s width were measured, and the knowledge of L2K’s flow structure was extended

Characterization of weakly ionized argon flows for radio blackout mitigation experiments

For reproducing the so-called E × B communication blackout mitigation scheme inside the L2K arc heated facility of the DLR in weakly ionized argon §ows, a §at plate model has been equipped with a superconducting magnet, electrodes, and a setup comprising microwave plasma transmission spectroscopy (MPTS). A thorough characterization of the weakly ionized argon §ow has been performed including the use of microwave interferometry (MWI), Langmuir probe measurements, Pitot probe pro¦les, and spectroscopic methods like diode laser absorption spectroscopy (DLAS) and emission spectroscopy

Настройка моделей при создании систем поддержки принятия стратегических решений

Показана актуальность разработки платформы (программной среды), позволяющей на её основе создавать системы стратегического управления организациями, используя сквозные технологии поддержки принятия решений и универсальные инструментальные средства. Статья посвящена решению одной из задач, возникающей при разработке такой платформы - настройке универсальных моделей поддержки принятия решений под условия принятия решений и особенности предметной области стратегического управления. Разработан механизм настройки моделей, выявлены и представлены параметры настройки

Innovative Thermal Management Concepts and Material Solutions for Future Space Vehicles

When entering a planetary atmosphere, space vehicles are exposed to extreme thermal loads. To protect the vehicle’s interior, a thermal protection system is required. Future aerospace transportation demands solutions that exceed the performance of current systems and up-to-date material limits. Therefore, new and disruptive solutions must be envisaged to meet those extreme conditions. In the search of new solutions for sharp leading edges of future hypersonic reentry or transport vehicles, the THOR project, composed of eight European organizations (industries, research centers, and universities) and one Japanese Agency (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), is actively working on definition, design, implementation, and simulation of new passive and active thermal management solutions and their verification in relevant environments (high-enthalpy facilities). This paper provides an overview of the recent developments on the four concepts that are targeted in the project, applying different physical methodologies: 1) passive cooling using highly conductive carbon-based fibers, 2) passive cooling with intensive internal radiative exchange, 3) active cooling based on convection heat transfer using a ceramic sandwich/thermal protection system with ceramic foams/lattices, and 4) active transpiration cooling of external surfaces. Details on these thermal management concepts, requirements from end users, and test configurations, as well as results from experimental and numerical verification, are given