Non equilibrium stagnation point heat transfer measurements to catalytic surfaces in shock heated air

Using a differential catalytic/non-catalytic thin film gauge, measurements of blunt body stagnation point heat transfer in dissociated air at shock Mach numbers from 5 to 12 have been obtained. Up to 30% differences between heat transfer to catalytic (nickel and copper) and non-catalytic (silicon dioxide) surfaces due to atomic surface recombination have been observed. The use of two different catalytic/non-catalytic combinations in the chemically frozen boundary layer regime permitted the simultaneous determination of both the surface recombination rate and the non-equilibrium atom concentration in the shock layer.