Supersonic flow control via plasma, electric and magnetic impacts

The possibility to control the shock wave configuration by plasmagasdynamic (PGD), electrogasdynamic (EGD) and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) methods is presented. In particular, the effects of gas discharges with different parameters on the position and shift of a bow shock wave in the supersonic flow of ionized xenon past a semi-cylinder body are considered. In the plasmagasdynamic control method a discharge creates the strongly non-equilibrium plasma in the flow ahead of the body. In experiments it has been shown that the change in the bow shock-wave position depends on the degree of plasma non-equilibrium. In the EGD and MHD methods, a discharge was organized at the near surface area of the nose part of the body. In these cases the changes in the bow shock wave positions were achieved by changing the discharge intensity (EGD method) or by applying an external magnetic field (MHD method).