Engineering topics

Babikian, Dikran S.

Publications and source records attributed to Babikian, Dikran S..

3 records

NASA NTRS1995

Characterization of Arcjet Flows Using Laser-Induced Fluorescence

A sensor based on laser-induced fluorescence has been installed at the 20-MW NASA Ames Aerodynamic Heating Facility. The sensor has provided new, quantitative, real-time information about properties of the arcjet flow in the highly dissociated, partially ionized, nonequilibrium regime. Number densities of atomic oxygen, flow velocities, heavy particle translational temperatures, and collisional quenching rates have been measured. These results have been used to test and refine computational models of the arcjet flow. The calculated number densities, translational temperatures, and flow velocities are in moderately good agreement with experiment

Bamford, Douglas J.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Measured and calculated spectral radiation from a blunt body shock layer in an arc-jet wind tunnel

Spectra of the shock layer radiation incident on the stagnation point of a blunt body placed in an arc-jet wind tunnel were measured over the wavelength range from 600 nm to 880 nm. The test gas was a mixture of 80 percent air and 20 percent argon by mass, and the run was made in a highly nonequilibrium environment. The observed spectra contained contributions from atomic lines of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, of bound-free and free-free continua, and band systems of N2 and N2(+). The measured spectra were compared with the synthetic spectra, which were obtained through four steps: the calculation of the arc-heater characteristics, of the nozzle flow, of the blunt-body flow, and the nonequilibrium radiation processes. The results show that the atomic lines are predicted approximately correctly, but all other sources are underpredicted by orders of magnitude. A possible explanation for the discrepancy is presented.

Babikian, Dikran S.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Measurement and analysis of nitric oxide radiation in an arc-jet flow

On the bases of the centerline enthalpy value deduced from heat transfer measurements and the NOZNT code, it is possible to predict the freestream conditions in an arcjet wind tunnel flow. The translational-rotational and vibrational temperature of NO is nearly reproducible by NOZNT. Relative to the electron and electronic temperatures, the vibrational temperature of N2 and NO are significantly lower at enthalpies of less than 45 MJ/kg. The enthalpy deduced from spectroscopic measurements is in rough agreement with that deduced from heat transfer measurements.

Babikian, Dikran S.↗