Electromagnetic Manipulation of Plasma Layer for Re-Entry Blackout Mitigation.

Radio Blackout;Re-entry Mitigation;Plasma Manipulation;Electromagnetic Layer;Magnetohydrodynamics;Plasma Communication;Aerospace Engineering;Engineering;Aerospace Engineering

Kim, Min KwanPowell, Kenneth G. ;

University of Michigan

关键词: Radio Blackout;    Re-entry Mitigation;    Plasma Manipulation;    Electromagnetic Layer;    Magnetohydrodynamics;    Plasma Communication;    Aerospace Engineering;    Engineering;    Aerospace Engineering;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/63784/minkwan_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

This thesis uses numerical simulation to study a new communication method foraddressing radio blackout during hypersonic flight. The radio blackout problem is animportant issue for hypersonic vehicles because of flight safety, catastrophe analysis,and mission success. During the last 50 years, several approaches have been proposedto solve radio blackout. However, from the Apollo reentry capsule to the Spaceshuttle, vehicles have experienced difficulties in communication and vehicle trackingdue to this phenomenon. As a reentry mitigation scheme, this study suggests plasmamanipulation methods using an electrostatic sheath and an electromagnetic (ExB)layer.The electrostatic sheath scheme is based on the formation of an electron-depletedsheath with a scale length comparable to the plasma layer. This study suggeststwo-dimensional shaped electrodes, one U-shaped and the other cylindrical. An electromagnetic, ExB layer mitigation scheme is also studied. The possibility of thescheme is analyzed using two suggested ExB layer models, a one-dimensional anda two-dimensional model. The results of the suggested models are assessed usingan analytical solution and experimental results that were obtained at the Universityof Michigan. The possibility of the ExB layer mitigation scheme is evaluated in arealistic operating condition for a hypersonic flow.The major contributions of this work to the field include: the analysis of twopossible blackout mitigation approaches, the electrostatic sheath and the electromagneticlayer mitigation schemes; the development of the one-dimensional andtwo-dimensional ExB layer models for optimizing the ExB layer configuration; simulationsillustrating the effectiveness of the suggested mitigation schemes; the assessmentof the suggested ExB layer model using an analytical solution and experimentalmeasurement; and the illustration of the possibility of the ExB layer as a blackoutmitigation scheme with the OREX reentry vehicle and the suggestion of a possibleExB layer configuration for L-band and GPS communication during reentry.