Experimental investigation of the methods of energy supply to the external surface of models of flying vehicles

The results of investigation of the effects of external supply of energy to the wind tunnel models at the Mach number M=5 are presented. The energy supply has been modeled by a light gas (helium) supply to the models. The loads have been measured by wind-tunnel balance. It is obtained that at small angles of attack the lift increment under the external supply of energy occurs without an increase in drag and under some conditions is more efficient than the lift increase by means of higher engine thrust under the same energy supply to it. The similarity criterion (“influence coefficient”) is proposed to relate the wind tunnel results to full-scale conditions. Based on the fact that the application of hot hydrogen is the most reasonable for the external supply of energy under full-scale conditions, the aspects of accelerating its ignition and combustion at low temperatures are investigated. It is shown that addition into the hydrogen of its atoms and activated molecules by passing the hydrogen through a glow-discharge zone makes it possible to implement ignition at a temperature of ∼300 K. Without such a treatment, ignition occurs at a temperature of ∼900 K.