Duration: 18 months
Recent high enthalpy demise ground testing has demonstrated that heating to objects is significantly impacted by length scale and flow path. As a result, geometric features such as holes, ribs, lattices and sharp edges can significantly increase the aerothermodynamic heat flux to an object.
To date, no attempt has been made to utilise the shape of objects specifically to enhance the aerothermodynamic heat flux to spacecraft equipment. It is anticipated that relatively small geometry changes can significantly impact the incoming heat to an object without impacting the equipment function.
The change of shape can be realised in a number of ways. The spacecraft equipment itself can be redesigned-for-demise by introducing features such as holes, ribs and edges. Holes provide a flow path with an internal shock train as well as a reduction in length scale and have been shown to be highly effective in increasing the heat flux to objects. Ribs and edges have been shown to increase heat flux locally and to produce shock impingements increasing the heating in other locations. This requires dynamic testing to ensure this is not just a static phenomenon.
As well as the equipment itself, the design of the platform could be enhanced such that the siting of the equipment is in a location where the hot post-shock flow is channelled, utilising the shock train concept seen in tubes, past the equipment resulting in significantly increased heat transfer. Consultancy from a structures expert will be utilised to ensure all design work is feasible.
This activity is proposed to have two stages, firstly a proof-of-concept where design aspects are proposed for a number of different equipment types and material mock-ups are tested in a plasma wind tunnel. The second stage is to apply the most promising concept to one specific equipment type to demonstrate the utility of this methodology. Guidelines on the wider applicability of the concept, for both modelling and design, will be constructed.
