PlasmaSonic systems are high-enthalpy plasma wind tunnels developed by Tekna to enable ground-based testing of materials and components exposed to extreme conditions. Designed for aerospace and defense programs, these wind tunnels provide controlled plasma environments for evaluating thermal protection systems response during atmospheric re-entry and hypersonic flight.
PlasmaSonic wind tunnels allow engineers and researchers to assess material performance, durability, and failure mechanisms under precisely controlled test conditions. By reproducing mission-relevant heat fluxes, pressures, and flow regimes, Tekna’s systems support reliable qualification of thermal protection systems, aerothermal materials, and re-entry components, while reducing risk and reliance on flight testing. Optional configurations also enable erosion testing through particle injection, simulating dusty and particulate-rich atmospheric environments encountered during planetary descent and landing.
Depending on test objectives and performance requirements, Tekna offers multiple plasma wind tunnel technologies, each optimized for specific operating regimes and test conditions.
| Technology | Description |
|---|---|
| Induction Plasma Wind Tunnel (ICPT) | Electrodeless plasma technology producing high-purity, stable heat flux conditions — ideal for thermal protection system (TPS) testing and surface chemistry studies. |
| DC Segmented Plasma Wind Tunnel (SPT) | High-power DC plasma technology optimized for specific aerothermal and heat-flux test regimes. |
| DC Huels Plasma Wind Tunnel (HPT) | DC plasma technology delivering robust, high-enthalpy performance for targeted testing applications. |
PlasmaSonic systems are advanced ground-testing platforms that replicate the extreme conditions heat-shield materials (TPS) encounter during high-velocity flight and atmospheric re-entry.
Main Applications:
| Technology | Description |
|---|---|
| Induction Plasma Wind Tunnel (ICPT) | (ICPT) simulates flight conditions at high altitudes across a range of velocities. Contrary to traditional DC arc torch, the electrodeless design of ICPT ensures a high purity and stable plasma heat flux environment, free of copper contaminants, essential for studying surface catalytic effects of TPS. It also allows for the introduction of particulates, simulating erosion potentials in Mars and lunar landing environments. We can provide systems from 15 kW to 1 MW plate power |
| DC Segmented Plasma Wind Tunnel (SPT) | (SPT) replicates flight conditions at lower altitudes and higher velocities where the conditions are the most difficult. Its design allows for a very stable, fixed-length arc discharge leading to an overall higher enthalpy range. |
| DC Huels Plasma Wind Tunnel (HPT) | Huels DC Arc Torch (HPT) offers versatile capabilities for testing flight conditions at medium-level altitudes and intermediate velocities. Its design is simple yet effective. |
Measuring plasma conditions accurately is what turns a wind tunnel into a predictive tool. Tekna’s instrumentation suite captures enthalpy, temperature, velocity, heat flux, and pressure data — along with high-speed imaging and particle velocimetry — to characterize both the plasma and its effect on the test sample.
This data feeds directly into numerical models, enabling accurate performance predictions at larger scales or under different re-entry conditions.
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