Department of ionized media mechanics

Head of department – D.Sc., Professor Valentyn O. Shuvalov

Field of research – processes of interaction of a solid body with plasma flows, flows of high-energy particles (atoms, molecules, atomic and molecular ions, electrons), with electromagnetic fields and radiation; modeling of spacecraft functioning conditions in the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere.

Research methods include physical and mathematical modeling of plasma effects and processes of interaction between spacecraft and the near-satellite environment, development and manufacture of scientific diagnostic equipment for spacecraft and experimental research equipment.

Experimental studies are being conducted at the ITM plasma electrodynamic bench, which is included in the State Register of unique objects of space activity by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and has the status of a scientific object representing a national treasure.

The plasma electrodynamic stand combines the properties of a plasma wind tunnel and a moonless vacuum chamber; it allows you to simulate and simulate the working conditions of spacecraft in the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere at altitudes from 150 to 40,000 km in low, highly elliptical, geostationary, and geopolar orbits. The conditions for the long-term operation of spacecraft, their modes of motion, aerodynamics and heat transfer, the effects of the interaction of artificial bodies and spacecraft with plasma flows of the ionosphere and magnetosphere, charged particles, electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetic radiation from the solar spectrum and the radar frequency range are modeled.

The principles, methods and tools to study various aspects of the interaction of a solid body with plasma flows, neutral and charged particles, electromagnetic radiation, under conditions characteristic of the flight of spacecraft in geostationary, highly elliptical and geopolar orbits have been developed:

– A theory, methods and means of contact diagnostics of neutral and charged components of high-speed flows of nonequilibrium atomic and partially dissociated molecular plasma in a wide pressure range;

– A complex of on-board scientific equipment.

Scientific equipment for space experiments includes:

– inverse-magnetron converter for the diagnosis of the near-satellite environment: space experiments “Astra-1” and “Astra-2”, module “Quantum-1” of the orbital station “Mir” (1987, 1989)

– on-board system of active ion-plasma protection of the spacecraft from the effects of high-voltage differential electrification (project “Electrification”, 1991) (In the photo: block and plasma formations)

– technology and autonomous unit for plasma-chemical cleaning of camera lenses and spacecraft optical systems: Crystal module of the Mir orbital station (1994).

– methodology and equipment for diagnosing the ionospheric plasma on the Sich-2 spacecraft (2011 – 2012) and identifying local sources of plasma disturbances caused by natural disasters on the sub-satellite path.

– sensors for the diagnosis of ionospheric plasma for a nano-satellite (ISS spacecraft, USA, 2004, STCU project)

– Hall-type low-power plasma engine for the TeLEOS-1 satellite control system (Singapore, 2015, STCU project). The TeLEOS-1 satellite is equipped with four engines. Engine characteristics: working substance – xenon, traction force – 5 mN, specific impulse – 900 s.

Experimentally and theoretically the following has been researched:

– distortion of the radio signatures of aircraft in the upper atmosphere of the Earth by artificial plasma formations. The technology of distorting radar characteristics, reducing the visibility of aircraft in the Earth’s atmosphere, the effectiveness of plasma counteraction to radar detection and recognition of aircraft signatures is substantiated. (Experiments on the spacecraft “High-altitude atmospheric probe” 1976, on the spacecraft “Cosmos-1818”, the design of the military-industrial complex “Epicurus” 1987).

– the processes of the outer surfaces molecular contamination of spacecraft with the products of thermal decomposition of organic materials and the coating of space head parts the inner surfaces of the spacecraft at the stage of thermostating with high-pressure air and in orbit (for Dnepr, Zenit, and Cyclone launch vehicles).

– the synergistic effect of polymer structural materials accelerated degradation containing the (CH) n group monomer under the simultaneous action of plasma flows, atomic oxygen and ultraviolet radiation in the Earth’s ionosphere. It is shown that during the long-term (more than two years) operation of spacecraft at altitudes of more than 400 km, the rates of degradation of the geometric, weight and thermo-optical characteristics of polymers increase several times.

– processes of degradation of silicon solar cells electrical power under long-term exposure (for 10 – 15 years) of numerous factors of outer space in circular, highly elliptical and geostationary orbits.

– patterns of magnetohydrodynamic interaction of magnetized aircraft with a stream of rarefied plasma in the Earth’s atmosphere. It is shown that changing the orientation of the intrinsic magnetic field relative to the plasma flow velocity vector is an effective means of controlling convective heat transfer and the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft.

The effectiveness of the concept of an artificial mini-magnetosphere for controlling the motion of spacecraft in the Earth’s ionosphere and in interplanetary space is experimentally substantiated. The creation of an “empty” mini-magnetosphere in a spacecraft with its self-magnetic field makes it possible to implement effective braking or acceleration modes of the spacecraft: increase the drag force (or thrust) by 3-4 times compared to a “non-magnetized” spacecraft. Blowing a subsonic jet of plasma into the cavity of the mini-magnetosphere increases the drag force by an order of magnitude compared to a spacecraft without a magnetic field.

The effectiveness of the concept of an artificial mini-magnetosphere for controlling the motion of spacecraft in the Earth’s ionosphere and in interplanetary space is experimentally substantiated. The creation of an “empty” mini-magnetosphere in a spacecraft with its self-magnetic field makes it possible to implement effective braking or acceleration modes of the spacecraft: increase the drag force (or thrust) by 3-4 times compared to a “non-magnetized” spacecraft. Blowing a subsonic jet of plasma into the cavity of the mini-magnetosphere increases the drag force by an order of magnitude compared to a spacecraft without a magnetic field.

CITED PUBLICATIONS

1. Shuvalov V. A. Distortion of radio reflections from spacecraft construction elements by plasma jets and structures: physical modeling / V. A. Shuvalov, A. E. Churilov, M. G. Bystritskii // Cosmic Research. – 2004. – V. 42, N. 3. – P. 228 – 237.
2. Power losses of solar arrays under the action of an environment in a geosynchronous orbit / V. A. Shuvalov, G. S. Kochubei, V. V. Gubin, N. A. Tokmak // Cosmic Research. – 2005. – V. 43, N. 4. – P. 259 – 267.
3. Changes of properties of the materials of spacecraft solar arrays under the action of atomic oxygen / V. A. Shuvalov, G. S. Kochubei, A. I. Priimak, N. I. Pis’mennyi, N. A. Tokmak // Cosmic Research. – 2007. – V. 45, N. 4. – P. 294 – 304.
4. Shuvalov V. A. Diagnostics of nonequilibrium collisional plasma with a thermoanemometric probe / V. A. Shuvalov, G. S. Kochubei, D. N. Lazuchenkov // High Temperature. – 2011. – V. 49, N. 1. – P. 27 – 35.
5. Control over heat exchange and deceleration of a “magnetized” body in a rarefied plasma flow / V. A. Shuvalov, A. I. Priimak, K. A. Bandel’, G. S. Kochubey, N. A. Tokmak // High Temperature. – 2011. – V. 49, N. 3. – P. 335 – 343.
6. Heat exchange and deceleration of a magnetized body in a rarefied plasma flow / V. A. Shuvalov, A. I. Priimak, K. A. Bandel’, G. S. Kochubei, N. A. Tokmak // Journal of Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics. – 2011. – V. 52, N. 1. – P. 3 – 12.
7. Physical simulation of the interaction of “magnetized” bodies and the Earth’s atmosphere in the hypersonic rarefied plasma flow / V. A. Shuvalov, S. N. ?ulagin, G. S. Kochubey, N. ?. ?okmak // High Temperature. – 2012. – V. 50, N. 3. – P. 315 – 322.
8. Probe diagnostics of laboratory and ionospheric rarefied plasma flows / V. A. Shuvalov, N. I. Pis’mennyi, D. N. Lazuchenkov, G. S. Kochubey // Instruments and Experimental Techniques. – 2013. – V. 56, N. 4. – ?. 459 – 467.
9. Dynamic interaction of a “magnetized” cone with a hypersonic flow of rarefied plasma / V. A. Shuvalov, N. A. Tokmak, S. N. Kulagin, G. S. Kochubei // High Temperature. – 2013. – V. 51, N. 6. – P. 725 – 732.
10. The mass loss of spacecraft polyimide films under the action of atomic oxygen and vacuum ultra-violet radiation / V. A. Shuvalov, N. I. Pis’mennyi, G. S. Kochubey, N. ?. ???mak // Cosmic Research. – 2014. – V. 52, N. 2. – P. 99 – 105.
11. Control of the dynamic interaction of a “magnetized” sphere with a hypersonic flow of rarefied plasma / V. A. Shuvalov, N. A. Tokmak, N. I. Pis’mennyi, G. S. Kochubei // High Temperature. – 2015. – V. 53, N. 4. – ?. 463 – 469.
12. Dynamic interaction of a magnetized solid body with a rarefied plasma flow / V. A. Shuvalov, N. A. Tokmak, N. I. Pis’mennyi, G. S.Kochubei // Journal of Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics. – 2016. – V. 57, N. 1. – ?. 145 – 152.
13. Synergetic effect of the action of atomic oxygen and vacuum ultraviolet radiation on polymers in the earth’s ionosphere / V. A. Shuvalov, N. P. Reznichenko, A. G. Tsokur , S. V. Nosikov // High Energy Chemistry. – 2016. – V. 50, N. 3. – ?. 171 – 176.
14. Physical simulation of the long-term dynamic action of plasma beam on a space debris object / V. A. Shuvalov, N. B. Gorev, N. A. Tokmak, G. S. Kochubei // Acta Astronautica. – 2017. – V. 132. – P. 97 – 102.
15. Identification of seismic activity sources on the subsatellite track by ionospheric plasma disturb-ances detected with the Sich-2 onboard probes / V. Shuvalov, D. Lazuchenkov, N. Gorev, G. Ko-chubei // Advances in Space Research. – 2018. – N. 61. – ?. 355 – 366.
16. Physical simulation of a prolonged plasma-plume exposure of a space debris object / V. A. Shuva-lov, N. B. Gorev , N. A. Tokmak , G. S. Kochubei // Cosmic Research. – 2018. – V. 56, N. 3. – ?. 223 – 231.

OFFICE ADDRESS:	Institute of Technical Mechanics , 15 Leshko-Popelya St., Dnipro, Ukraine 49005
CONTACT:	Valentyn O. Shuvalov
PHONE NUMBER:	+38 056 2 47 24 88
FAX NUMBER:	+38 056 2 47 34 13
E-MAIL:	vashuvalov@ukr.net