Mechanism analysis of magnetohydrodynamic shock control in hypersonic flow

Abstract

The effects of external magnetic fields on the shock-wave configuration at hypersonic plasma flow field are investigated in this paper. A series of numerical simulations over various geometry configurations, namely, a blunt body and a fixed-geometry inlet forebody, have been conducted by varying the applied magnetic field under different freestream conditions. Results show that magnetohydrodynamic shock control capabilities under three types of magnetic field are ranked from weak to strong as dipole magnet, solenoid magnet, and uniform magnet field. Under the same applied magnetic field, it is easier to deflect the shock at a relatively high altitude condition, compared with the low altitude case. The bow shock standoff distance is dependent on the distribution of counter-flow Lorentz force right after shock in the stagnation region. For the oblique shock control, the function of two components of Lorentz force is different that the counter-flow one decelerates the flow and increases the shock-wave angle, while the normal one squeezes the oblique shock and deflects the streamlines.