Heat transfer measurements on a plate adjacent to a bipropellant thruster

The analysis of possible plume impingement effects due to thruster firing is a standard task for spacecraft projects. Various supporting computer codes are available, however, a big lack still today is the missing or uncomplete validation, which finally affects the reliability of the results. Hence experimental activities are always necessary, and one such case is the heat transfer on a surface adjacent to a bipropellant thruster. Such measurements will be presented together with a critical inspection of the simulation conditions in a ground facility. The purpose of the paper is to demonstate the feasibility and limitations of such investigations in the near field of thruster plumes, where the plate serves as an example for a geometric shape of the impinged spacecraft surface. Moreover the presented data can be used to check the validity of codes which are used for plume impingement calculations.