Effects of Localized Flow Heating by DC-Arc Discharge Ahead of Non-Slender Bodies

Kurzfassung

The influence of steady energy addition into the flow by low-voltage DC-arc discharge located upstream of conically-nosed and spherically-blunted bodies was investigated experimentally in the Ludwieg-Tube Facility at Mach 5. The results include drag force measurements and shadowgraph flow visualizations. The flow-field structure arising due to the bow-shock/heated-wake interaction, as well as the effects of bow-shock intensity and heating power variation on the drag reduction of different non-slender bodies are analyzed in this paper. The results demonstrate the existence of an optimum heating rate providing a maximum effectiveness of energy deposition and show distinct drag reductions up to 70% dependent on the test conditions and model geometry.