Steering moments creation in supersonic flow by off-axis plasma heat addition

The change in aerodynamic forces as a result of local plasma heat addition to supersonic flow (Mach 3.0), upstream of a cone, is studied numerically by solving the three-dimensional compressible Euler equations. In principle, such an effect on the forces and moments can be used for vehicle steering as well as drag reduction. Local energy addition to the flow is achieved by the use of microwave radiation as a heating-source and an electron beam to control the air conductivity and consequently the location of the energy deposition. This approach requires heating only in a localized preionized region, and so the strength of the microwave field has to be much lower than the critical value of the electric field at breakdown. Results show the potential effects of heat addition on the aerodynamic forces. The corresponding power and the optimized location required to achieve these effects are discussed.