PHEDRA (Arc-jet) high enthalpy wind tunnel
The PHEDRA High Enthalpy low density Wind Tunnel, located at the ICARE Laboratory in Orléans, France, is a research facility used extensively for fundamental and applied research on non equilibrium plasma flows and planetary atmospheric entries. Its name is an acronym for soufflerie à Plasma Hors Equilibre de Rentreés Atmosphériques . Phedra wind tunnel takes part of the European Landscape Network portal MERIL. History PHEDRA (ex. SR5) wind tunnel was located in the Aerothermodynamics Laboratory from the CNRS (France's national scientific research center) in Meudon, France until 2000. The wind tunnel was then moved to the ICARE Laboratory in Orleans, resulting from the merging of the Aerothermodynamics Laboratory and the LCSR (Combustion and Reactive Systems Laboratory). This facility is part of the experimental plateform FAST (Facilities for Aerothermodynamics & Supersonic Technologies, contact Viviana Lago head of FAST team, viviana.lago@cnrs-orlean.fr) belonging in ICARE Institut from CNRS, Orléans. Technical details PHEDRA is a plasma ground test facility used to simulate low pressure flight conditions in the upper layer of the planetary atmospheres. An arc-jet generator operates in a cylindrical chamber of 1;1 m in diameter and 4.3 m length, pumped with 3 primary pumps and 3 Roots pumps, which capacity (27 000