Effects of multicomponent diffusion in a problem of high temperature gas dynamics

Abstract

Various characteristics of hypersonic flow past a space probe in a helium--hydrogen atmosphere simulating the upper layers of that of the planet Jupiter have been intensively studied recently [1-6]. The point of the present paper, which completes the cycle begun by [7, 8], is to take into account consistently the interaction of the basic physical processes in the shock layer plasma between the detached shock wave and the graphite surface of a spherical probe in determining the convective and radiant heat fluxes in the front stagnation point of the probe. The processes concerned include: the injection of the graphite heat shield into the shock layer under the effect of powerful heat fluxes, radiant and convective heat transfer through the shock layer to the sur-face of the probe, and the multicomponent nature of the diffusion mixing of the plasma components in the shock layer. The thermophysical properties of the local-equillbriura multielement plasma of the shock layer with strong Coulomb interaction necessary for calculating the heat fluxes were tabulated in [8, 9]. The Coulomb interaction has a particular effect on the optical properties of the shock layer plasma [9].