Massimo Franco, Ph.D.Postdoctoral Research Associate, University Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Friday, February 28th, 2024, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
In Person Projection in JH-109: Teams Link
Title: Investigation of Slug Calorimeter Heat Flux Measurements in the Plasmatron X Wind Tunnel
ABSTRACT: Accurate cold wall heat flux measurements are essential for designing thermal protection materials for spacecraft reentry. Slug calorimeters offer a simple method to estimate heat flux by measuring how quickly a solid slug heats up under thermal exposure.
This presentation discusses heat flux measurements using a custom copper slug calorimeter in the Plasmatron X inductively coupled plasma (ICP) facility. Various slug shapes and coatings are tested in air, nitrogen, and CO₂ plasma, using two nozzle configurations: a 100 mm straight nozzle and a 21.8 mm throat / 86.5 mm exit converging-diverging nozzle. The impact of chamber pressure, input power, sample shape, and surface material on heat flux is analyzed. Additionally, we provide a brief overview of other plasma jet characterization research.
BIO: Dr. Massimo Franco is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, working with Professors Panerai and Elliott. His postdoctoral research focuses on characterizing the Plasmatron X wind tunnel, an inductively coupled plasma facility for studying thermal protection materials in hypersonic conditions. He is currently developing custom heat flux sensors to measure cold wall heat flux on various sample shapes.
