Generation and Characterization of High Enthalpy CO2 Flow by Laser Driven Plasma Wind Tunnel

Abstract

Supersonic high enthalpy CO2 flows were generated by a laser driven plasma wind tunnel to simulate Mars and Venus entry. At the plenum pressure of around 0.3 MPa, the laser sustained plasma (LSP) was stably maintained and expanded to the vacuum chamber through the convergent divergent nozzle. The flow parameters were diagnosed by a Pitot tube and emission spectroscopy. As a result, it was found that the Mach number was ranged from 8.2 to 9.8 and the vibrational temperature was from 3500 K to 4200 K, respectively. The estimated heat flux was from 38 MW/m 2 to 50 MW/m 2 .