Transpiration Cooling Using Liquid Water

Abstract

At the Space Launcher System Analysis (SART) department of DLR-Cologne, a hypersonic spaceplane for passenger transportation is being investigated. A major challenge is the aerodynamic heating of the vehicle. A possible solution for handling the extreme heatloads will be presented. The solution involves an innovative new way of transpiration cooling, using liquid water. The concept has been tested at the arc heated wind tunnel section of DLR-Cologne. The test campaign will be described and the results will be compared with transpiration cooling using a gas as a coolant.