STG-CT: High-vacuum plume test facility for chemical thrusters

Authors

  • Martin Grabe Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17815/jlsrf-2-139

Abstract

The STG-CT, operated by the DLR Institute for Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Göttingen, is a vacuum facility specically designed to provide and maintain a space-like vacuum environment for researching plume flow and plume impingement from satellite reaction control thrusters. Its unique liquid-helium driven cryopump of 30m2 allows maintaining a background pressure <10^-5 mbar even when molecular hydrogen is a plume constituent.

References

Dettleff, G. (1991). Plume flow and plume impingement in space technology. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 28(1), 1 - 71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0376-0421(91)90008-R

Dettleff, G., & Grabe, M. (2011). Basics of plume impingement analysis for small chemical and cold gas thrusters. In: Models and computational methods for rarefied flows (chap. 12). von Karman Institute, Rhode St. Genèse, Belgium: RTO/NATO. (RTO AVT/VKI Lecture Series)

Dettleff, G., & Plähn, K. (1997). Initial experimental results from the new DLR-high vacuum plume test facility STG. In: 33rd joint propulsion conference and exhibit. Seattle.

Dettleff, G., & Plähn, K. (1999). Experimental investigation of fully expanding free jets and plumes. In: Rarefied Gas Dynamics, Proceedings of the 21st International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics, Vol. 1 (p. 607 - 614).


Cite article as: DLR Institute for Aerodynamics and Flow Technology. (2016). STG-CT: High-vacuum plume test facility for chemical thrusters. Journal of large-scale research facilities, 2, A86. http://dx.doi.org/10.17815/jlsrf-2-139

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Published

2016-08-17

Issue

Vol. 2 (2016)

Section

Articles

URN

http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0001-jlsrf-2-139-8

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Copyright (c) 2016 Journal of large-scale research facilities JLSRF

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