FLEET velocimetry measurements in the ONR-UTA arc-jet wind tunnel

This manuscript presents and discusses the very first successful application of the Femtosecond Laser Electronic Excitation Tagging (FLEET) velocimetry technique in an arc-jet flow. Specifically, one-dimensional, quantitative, FLEET velocimetry data were obtained in the effort to characterize the 1.6 MW ONR-UTA arc-jet plasma wind tunnel, Leste, housed at the Aerodynamics Research Center of the University of Texas at Arlington. While the FLEET technique has been used in other types of high-speed wind tunnel facilities, application to flows with high background radiation, such as arc-jets, has never been demonstrated before this work. The high background emissions posed concerns on the feasibility of performing FLEET velocimetry measurements. However, this work demonstrates how these concerns were addressed and presents the first successful application of the FLEET technique in arc-jet flows. The FLEET emissions in the arc-jet plume were successfully imaged, and a significant spatio-temporal variation in the tag’s displacement was observed. For the selected operational condition in this study, the average measured gas velocity in the arc-jet plume was 1.78 km/s. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].