Intersection of Plasma and Aerospace Engineering: Magnetoaerodynamics and Hypersonics

Hypersonics, defined as high-speed atmospheric flight regimes ranging in speed from approximately Mach 5 to over Mach 30, are becoming increasingly relevant to the national interest. These hypersonic flight regimes present numerous engineering challenges due to the extreme aerodynamic and thermal environments present, in which temperatures can be high enough to cause significant atmospheric dissociation and ionization, forming a plasma. When a magnetic field is applied to the ionized gas flow-field that exists around the vehicle during hypersonic flight, the charged particles tend to avoid crossing magnetic field lines. Innovative technology leveraging this magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) interaction with these hypersonic and aerospace plasmas, or magnetoaerodynamics, could generate electrical energy from the flow and prove enabling for continuous hypersonic vehicle control without external control surfaces or reaction control systems, while also potentially expanding control authority to higher altitudes and reducing convective heat transfer. Though magnetoaerodynamic interactions have been studied since the dawn of the space age in the late 1950s, the increasing importance of hypersonic flight and enhanced technological capabilities demanded by the planetary exploration and national defense communities warrant additional study. Key challenges for both planetary exploration and national defense include vehicle maneuvering and thermal protection during hypersonic flight. Though magnetoaerodynamics has significant potential to alleviate both of these challenges, experimental investigations have been limited. The Magnetoaerodynamics and Aerospace Plasmas Laboratory (CU-MAPLAB) is a new laboratory currently being commissioned in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at the University of Colorado Boulder. The laboratory will feature a radio-frequency (RF) inductively coupled plasma (ICP) wind-tunnel for simulating high-speed, high-altitude hypersonic flight environments such as those found during planetary entry. This work aims to both present a summary of the author’s magnetoaerodynamics and hypersonics research to date while also providing key insights into how future efforts can address these challenges at the intersection of plasma and aerospace engineering.