Combined Energy Deposition and Magnetohydrodynamic Control for Hypersonic Drag and Heat Reduction

Laser-energy deposition is a promising method for active flow control in high-speed vehicles due to its superior drag reduction capabilities. However, the challenge of increased heat flux during certain phases and shock issues induced by pulses remains unresolved. Given that magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow control offers excellent thermal shielding, and energy deposition can serve as an auxiliary ionization technique to enhance the effectiveness of magnetic control, the feasibility of combining these two methods for drag reduction and thermal protection of hypersonic vehicles was explored. The Navier–Stokes equations with MHD source terms were solved using the finite volume method, with weakly ionized flow modeled by Park’s seven-species air model and two-temperature model. The electrical conductivity model based on effective collision frequency and the instantaneous energy deposition model were utilized for simulations. The validity of the algorithm was confirmed by experimental verification. Simulations under RAM-II flight conditions on a hemisphere-cylinder blunt body indicated that applying full-time magnetic control during single-pulse energy deposition effectively mitigates aerodynamic heating from shock interactions and viscous flow while simultaneously decreasing the aerodynamic drag on the blunt body. Additionally, MHD control significantly suppresses the large shock behavior induced by pulse energy deposition through the action of Lorentz forces.