150
6 Hypersonic Wind Tunnels
the range of total specific enthalpies of 1.5–6 MJ/kg. For a full scale wind tunnel
model with nozzle 3, the M = 7.4 flight conditions can be replicated at 28 km and
33 km. Additional conditions using nozzle 4, replicates M = 6 flight conditions
between 15 km flight altitude and at sea level. The M = 10 using nozzle 5 generates
the conditions at 33 km altitude.
6.3.4 Plasma Wind Tunnels
The SCIROCCO Plasma Wind Tunnel (PWT) located at the Centro Italiano
Ricerche Aerospaziali (CIRA) in Capua, Italy is the largest and most power consuming hypersonic facility which operates at high enthalpy and low pressure generated
by an arc-jet. It was established by the European Space Agency (ESA) through the
Hermes program and has been operational since 2002 (see Fig. 6.19).
The SCIROCCO facility was designed to generate the very high heat flux and
pressure experienced by space vehicles during re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere. This
facility was designed to characterise real scale thermal protection systems (TPS), hot
structures and payloads of space vehicles using the arc-jet technology.
It is operated by a 70 MW arc heater, capable of producing a 2 m diameter plasma
jet at Mach 12, lasting up to 30 min. The arc heater (or plasmatron) is of segmented
type and has a bore diameter of 0.11 m and a length of 5.5 m. The process air is
Fig. 6.19 Aerial view of the SCIROCCO plasma wind tunnel of CIRA (© CIRA)
6 Hypersonic Wind Tunnels
the range of total specific enthalpies of 1.5–6 MJ/kg. For a full scale wind tunnel
model with nozzle 3, the M = 7.4 flight conditions can be replicated at 28 km and
33 km. Additional conditions using nozzle 4, replicates M = 6 flight conditions
between 15 km flight altitude and at sea level. The M = 10 using nozzle 5 generates
the conditions at 33 km altitude.
6.3.4 Plasma Wind Tunnels
The SCIROCCO Plasma Wind Tunnel (PWT) located at the Centro Italiano
Ricerche Aerospaziali (CIRA) in Capua, Italy is the largest and most power consuming hypersonic facility which operates at high enthalpy and low pressure generated
by an arc-jet. It was established by the European Space Agency (ESA) through the
Hermes program and has been operational since 2002 (see Fig. 6.19).
The SCIROCCO facility was designed to generate the very high heat flux and
pressure experienced by space vehicles during re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere. This
facility was designed to characterise real scale thermal protection systems (TPS), hot
structures and payloads of space vehicles using the arc-jet technology.
It is operated by a 70 MW arc heater, capable of producing a 2 m diameter plasma
jet at Mach 12, lasting up to 30 min. The arc heater (or plasmatron) is of segmented
type and has a bore diameter of 0.11 m and a length of 5.5 m. The process air is
Fig. 6.19 Aerial view of the SCIROCCO plasma wind tunnel of CIRA (© CIRA)