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Content archived on 2022-12-23

Surface Catalysis Determination for Earth and Mars Atmospheric Re-entry Vehicles

Objective

This project was generated by the current interest of CNES and ONERA in two types of projects involving high-speed atmospheric flight: Mars exploration and preliminary studies for future re-usable launchers. In both cases, a correct evaluation of the Thermal Protection System material catalysis properties represents an important issue.

For Mars exploration probes, the use of catalytic non degradable material for heat shield TPS is affordable only if one can balance the cost and lack of experience by the fact that heating can be significantly reduced using none or low catalytic material. For future re-usable launchers, the use of a low catalytic material with constant properties in time is a pre-requisite for such type of vehicles.

So far, two orientations were taken to determine the wall catalysis properties: a microscopic approach and a macroscopic approach. The former one is developed in Western Europe whereas the latter one originates from NIS research group and was recently also developed in Europe in groups operating with ICP facilities. The macroscopic method combines both experiments and numerical rebuilding of the plasma flow over the sample in the ICP facility.

The so-called microscopic method allows a direct measurement of the rate of atoms that recombinate to the surface or the rate of energy/momentum transmitted to the surface in terms of decomposed processes.

The objectives of this INTAS-CNES Project are to improve the knowledge and understanding of the surface catalysis phenomena in high enthalpy flows for the Earth and Martian atmosphere entry conditions focusing on two methodologies (microscopic and macroscopic) for determining the surface catalycity. Elementary objectives are:
- To set-up the macroscopic methodology and the tools for aerothermal testing of SiC Thermal Protection Materials of Earth and Martian Space Vehicles for duplicating stagnation point heat transfer by ICP torch
- To extend IPM methodology of the quantitative duplication of stagnation point heat transfer for the Martian atmosphere entry conditions using ICP torch
- To refine test instrumentation, measurement techniques and CFD tools for rebuilding free stream parameters in ICP torch and studying steady-state heat transfer
- To improve and validate numerical technique for simulation of high temperature gas flows
- To apply the microscopic methodology in coherence with the previous task
- To determine the catalytic properties using the same generic material (SiC) tested in all facilities
- To compare catalytic parameters of the chosen generic material with microscopic and macroscopic methodologies
- To crosscheck the techniques and the implementation of these techniques in the different research groups
- To develop/improve experimental approaches providing energy, momentum and chemical exchange study for O2/N2 and CO2 interacting with SiC surfaces
- To improve oxidization process knowledge with after-test morphologic analysis.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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Coordinator

Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales
EU contribution
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Address
avenue Edouard Belin 2
31055 Toulouse
France

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Total cost

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Participants (5)

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