Heat transfer measurements on a biconic in hypervelocity nitrogen flow

Abstract

AbstractHeat transfer rates on a straight biconic, an attractive configuration for an aero-assisted orbital transfer vehicle, were made in the ANU T3 shock tunnel at various angles of attack and a stagnation enthalpy of 26 MJ/kg, equivalent to a flight speed of 7-2 km/s. The heat transfer database at this higher enthalpy has been compared with the data obtained on the same model in hypersonic and hypervelocity facilities elsewhere. The non-equilibrium flow effects on the model have been discussed in terms of the Hornung reaction rate parameter Ω.