Research

The HRL research strategy involves the use of both existing and newly developed tools for flow simulations and experimental diagnostics, with recent efforts focusing on electron density measurements in plasmas. Ongoing research projects are advancing understanding of:

1. Receptivity and stability of hypersonic, non-equilibrium boundary layers
2. Electron absorption in plasma hypersonic flow environments
3. Internal flow shock-wave/boundary layer interactions
4. Use of liquid metals for efficient heat transfer from vehicle surfaces in hypersonic flows
5. Modelling flammability limits of fuels for ramjets
6. Shock-wave/boundary layer interactions for hypersonic flows over flared body geometries
7. Similarity modeling of hypersonic boundary layers with chemical reactions
8. RANS turbulence modeling in high-speed flows with shock interactions and separation zones