Assessment of gas-surface interaction modelling for lifting body re-entry flight design

Abstract

Space re-entry is a challenging endeavor due to the harsh thermo-chemical environment around the vehicle. Heat flux being the reference parameter for Thermal Protection System (TPS) design, the total energy transfer can significantly increase due to the exothermic atomic recombination enhanced by TPS catalytic properties. The catalytic recombination coefficient modelling is critical for heat flux computation during TPS design. This work assesses the ability to determine the recombination coefficient at Von Karman Institute's (VKI) plasma wind tunnel (Plasmatron) as a step towards future validation of catalytic models : from a reference catalytic model development for enthalpy characterization of the facility, to the identification of the most influential parameters found in non-equilibrium boundary layers. Plasmatron test results encourage a flight extrapolation strategy development in order to link the catalysis measured on ground to the catalysis appearing in flight. The strategy, focused on off-stagnation point conditions, shall contribute to future post-flight activities of the CATalytic Experiment (CATE) on board of the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV). Relevant data from IXV and CATE are also presented, laying the foundation for for future developments at VKI.