Numerical rebuilding of plasma wind tunnel MHD flow experiments for advanced thermal protection systems

Atmospheric re-entry represents a crucial stage in crewed spaceflight and sample-return missions, making it essential to understand plasma behavior around the vehicle. This paper presents a numerical rebuilding approach for high-enthalpy plasma flows in plasma wind tunnel (PWT) experiments, employing the axis-symmetric thermo-chemical non-equilibrium Navier–Stokes code URANUS developed at the University of Stuttgart. Test conditions with high enthalpies of 60 MJ kg ⁻¹ - 1 and 80 MJ kg ⁻¹ - 1 were characterized, corresponding to highly elliptical and hyperbolic re-entry trajectories, respectively. The numerical simulation results demonstrate excellent agreement with experimental measurements for both conditions, highlighting the importance of ion recombination at the vehicle’s surface. The validated numerical methodology established in this study will be utilized to characterize recent experiments employing a probe equipped with solenoid magnets to investigate magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects during atmospheric re-entry.