Combustion of High-Pressure Hydrogen Diluted Mixtures in ESTHER Shock Tube Ricardo Grosso Ferreira, Bernardo Brotas Carvalho, Rafael Rodrigues, Luís Lemos Alves, Bruno Gonçalves, Mário Lino da Silva, Lionel Marraffa, Victor Fernandez Villace, Arthur Smith Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, 2024 European Shock Tube for High-Enthalpy Research (ESTHER) is a new state-of-the-art combustion-driven shock tube developed for supporting future ESA planetary exploration missions. Its high-pressure combustion driver sports a unique innovative design where a mixture of [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] gases, filled to pressures up to 100 bar, is ignited by a high-power Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. The qualification of this facility driver has allowed for the detailed study of laser-ignited combustion processes at high initial pressures (in the 5–100 bar range), over a series of 100 shots carried out for different configurations and gas mixtures. The influence of the oxygen-to-hydrogen ratio, filling pressure, inert gas dilution, and ignition mode have been studied and are presented in this work. The effects of nitrogen vs helium dilution are also discussed. Filling pressure and helium/nitrogen dilutions have the strongest influence in peak pressure, acoustic oscillation, and combustion velocity. The first two increase, whereas the latter strongly decreases with the filling pressure. Nitrogen diluted shots have drastically lower compression ratios and flame velocity when compared to the helium ones. Acoustic perturbations/instabilities are also found to be stronger. This test campaign allowed the definition of a large range of stable and reproducible firing conditions in deflagration mode, yielding post-combustion pressures up to 660 bar.
Unfocused laser ignition of high-pressure He–H2-O2 combustible mixtures R. Grosso Ferreira, B. Carvalho, J. Rodrigues, R. Rodrigues, A. Smith, L. Marraffa, M. Lino da Silva International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2024 We report consistent ignition of high-pressure (pfill>20–30 bar) hydrogen-oxygen mixtures diluted with helium in two different combustion vessels, using an unfocused Nd:YAG laser. This corresponds to laser irradiances several orders of magnitude below the minimum ignition energies reported in the literature. This unusual phenomena has led us to try to measure the amount of laser radiation absorbed by the gas medium. By placing a mirror inside a cylindrical vessel and filling it up to 100 bar with He-H2 or He-O2 non-combustible mixtures, we obtain the pressure-dependent absorptivity of the combustible He-H2-O2 mixture. We find no measurable absorption of the laser signal by the medium, for the overall pressure range, to the experimental apparatus sensitivity (about 1% of the laser irradiance). The exact mechanism for ignition remains henceforth unknown. One possibility could the creation of seed electrons created by autofocusing ionization of dust/impurities in the gas, but this has yet to be experimentally confirmed.
VUV to IR Emission Spectroscopy and Interferometry Diagnostics for the European Shock Tube for High-Enthalpy Research Ricardo Grosso Ferreira, Bernardo Brotas Carvalho, Luís Lemos Alves, Bruno Gonçalves, Victor Fernandez Villace, Lionel Marraffa, Mário Lino da Silva Sensors, 2023 The European Shock Tube for High-Enthalpy Research is a new state-of-the-art facility, tailored for the reproduction of spacecraft planetary entries in support of future European exploration missions, developed by an international consortium led by Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear and funded by the European Space Agency. Deployed state-of-the-art diagnostics include vacuum-ultraviolet to ultraviolet, visible, and mid-infrared optical spectroscopy setups, and a microwave interferometry setup. This work examines the specifications and requirements for high-speed flow measurements, and discusses the design choices for the main diagnostics. The spectroscopy setup covers a spectral window between 120 and 5000 nm, and the microwave interferometer can measure electron densities up to 1.5 × 1020 electrons/m3. The main design drivers and technological choices derived from the requirements are discussed in detail herein.
Spectral observations at the Canary Island Long-Baseline Observatory (CILBO): Calibration and datasets Joe Zender, Detlef Koschny, Regina Rudawska, Salvatore Vicinanza, Stefan Loehle, Martin Eberhart, Arne Meindl, Hans Smit, Lionel Marraffa, Rico Landman, Daphne Stam Geoscientific Instrumentation Methods and Data Systems, 2023 The Canary Island Long-Baseline Observatory (CILBO) is a double-station meteor camera setup located on the Canary Islands operated by ESA's Meteor Research Group since 2010. Observations of meteors are obtained in the visual wavelength band by intensified video cameras from both stations, supplemented by an intensified video camera mounted with a spectral grating at one of the locations. The cameras observe during cloudless and precipitation-free nights, and data are transferred to a main computer located at ESA/ESTEC once a day. The image frames that contain spectral information are calibrated, corrected, and finally processed into line intensity profiles. An ablation simulation, based on Bayesian statistics using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method, allows determining a parameter space, including the ablation temperatures, chemical elements, and their corresponding line intensities, to fit against the line intensity profiles of the observed meteor spectra. The algorithm is presented in this paper and one example is discussed. Several hundred spectra have been processed and made available through the Guest Archive Facility of the Planetary Science Archive of ESA. The data format and metadata are explained.
European shock-tube for high enthalpy research: Design and instrumentation, manufacturing, and acceptance testing Mario Lino Da Silva, Ricardo Ferreira, Rafael Rodrigues, Luis Alves, Bruno Gonçalves, Arthur Smith, Jim Merrifield, Victor Villace, Lionel Marraffa AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum, 2020 We discuss the design, manufacturing, and qualification of the ESTHER shock-tube and its associated instrumentation. ESTHER is a new generation shock-tube funded by the European Space Agency and developed by an international consortium led by the Institute of Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, an associated laboratory from the Instituto Superior Técnico of Lisbon. This facility aims at improving the European predictive capabilities for Spacecraft planetary entries, providing support for the next generation European exploration endeavours. The main drivers for this facility design have been (in no particular order) performance, repeatability, and cleanliness. These are enforced through an innovative design encompassing a laser-ignited, H2/He/O2 combustion driver capable of reaching pressures up to 600bar, and strict tolerances for the shock-tube interior surface state. A significant effort has also been put into setting- up state-of-the-art diagnostics. Besides the traditional streak-camera/spectrometer setups for carrying emission spectroscopy in the visible range, an additional VUV capable streak- camera/spectrometer setup is under development, complemented by a fast camera/MWIR spectrometer setup. ESTHER will be capable of carrying optical measurements in the ex- tended 150nm–4.5μm range. Finally an in-house developed interferometer will be deployed for providing time-resolved electron density measurements.
Demise observation capsule: Progress update 2018 Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress Iac, 2018
Influence of ablation on vacuum-ultraviolet radiation in a plasma wind tunnel flow Tobias Hermann, Stefan Löhle, Stefanos Fasoulas, Pénélope Leyland, Lionel Marraffa, Jean-Marc Bouilly Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, 2017 Plasma wind tunnel experiments have been performed simulating a Hayabusa reentry trajectory point at 78.8 km altitude with a velocity of 11.7 km/s corresponding to a local mass–specific enthalpy o...
Dynamic characteristics of MarcoPolo-R Entry Capsule in low subsonic flow Arianit Preci, Ali Gülhan, Etienne Clopeau, Philippe Tran, Luca Ferracina, Lionel Marraffa Ceas Space Journal, 2016 The selection of the most suitable configuration between several candidate aeroshapes for the MarcoPolo-R ERC is performed by means of subsonic dynamic stability tests. These tests were conducted in the vertical free jet facility VMK at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, employing the free flight technique. Several different model configurations with respect to the shape, position of the centre of gravity, shoulder radius, and mass were tested. The motion of the models during free flight was recorded using an optical motion tracking system. The measurement of the position and the attitude of the models, in combination with flow parameters and an exact flow profile characterization, allows for a shape discrimination based on aerodynamic stability characteristics of the models.
Supersonic tests of the double gap disk-gap band parachute and fluid structure interaction simulation Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conferences, 2015
Subsonic wind tunnel testing of various parachute types John C. Underwood, Arrun Saunders, Steven Rogers, J Stephen Lingard, Lionel Marraffa, Luca Ferracina, Guy L. Larose, Sean A. McTavish Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conferences, 2015
Supersonic parachute aerodynamic testing J. Stephen Lingard, John C. Underwood, Matthew G. Darley, Lionel Marraffa, Luca Ferracina AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Ads Conference 2013, 2013
Sounding rocket flight test of propellant management technologies 61st International Astronautical Congress 2010 Iac 2010, 2010
Dust particle erosion during mars entry 40th International Conference on Environmental Systems ICES 2010, 2010
Radiation of high temperature gases: Rebuilding test case TC2 European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2009
Rebuilding the test case tc2-t2: Definition of shock tunnel test-cases for gas radiation prediction in titan-like atmosphere - Iusti experiments - European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2009
The tandem mission proposal a first estimation of the foreseeable radiative heat fluxes the montgolfiÈre probe will encounter during its entry in titan atmosphere European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2009
Determination of the radiation emission during the FIRE II entry European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2006
Rebuilding of the palumbo experiments in an arc jet European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2006
Mars chemical kinetic models: A short review European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2006
Proposal for "in flight research on radiation / ablation coupling" filling a 40 year gap after fire II European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2006
IRDT 2R mission, first results European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2006
Preliminary design global optimization for space vehicles during atmospheric maneuvers A Collection of Technical Papers 13th AIAA Cira International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, 2005
Flow-field/radiation coupling analysis for huygens probe entry into titan atmosphere 38th AIAA Thermophysics Conference, 2005
Tables of internal partition functions and thermodynamic properties of high-temperature Mars-atmosphere species from 50K to 50000K European Space Agency Scientific and Technical Reports ESA STR, 2005
Rebuilding flowfield and radiation testcase for Titan atmosphere European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2005
Preliminary study of mars entry: Application to the prediction of radiation European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2005
Preparation of a possible test case 4 numerical rebuilding of fire II European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2005
Numerical, analytical and experimental investigation of convective and radiative heating of a martian descent module European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2005
Updated analysis of the radiative heat flux during the entry of the huygens probe in the titan atmosphere European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2004
Prospects of AM ISS payload retrieval system International Astronautical Federation 55th International Astronautical Congress 2004, 2004
Synthesis of the gap heating analysis of the HYFLEX flight European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2004
Rebuilding flowfield and radiation testcases for mars and titan atmospheres European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2003
Analysis of the radiative heat flux during the entry of the Huygens probe in the titan atmosphere European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2003
IRDT - Inflatable re-entry and descent technology: The IRDT-2 mission and future applications European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2003
European experimental reentry testbed (EXPERT) European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2003
Experimental and numerical investigations on HYFLEX gap heating: Phase 1 European Space Agency Special Publication ESA SP, 2003
New space application opportunities based on the Inflatable Reentry & Descent Technology (IRDT) AIAA Icas International Air and Space Symposium and Exposition the Next 100 Years, 2003
Aerobraking and aerocapture: Aerodynamic and aerothermal study, applicability of inflatable structures 16th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conference and Seminar, 2001
Experimental study of the Ariane 5 Attitude Control System (SCA) passivation 35th AIAA Thermophysics Conference, 2001
Numerical investigation on liquid hydrazine behaviour during venting into space European Congress on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences and Engineering Eccomas 2000, 2000
Computational analysis of LIF measurements in TT1 arc-jet facility Systems Analysis Modelling Simulation, 1999
