EXTERNALLY HEATED HYDROGEN DRIVER DESIGN AND EXPERIMENTAL PERFORMANCE FOR THE HYPULSE SHOCK TUNNEL FACILITY

This thesis includes a review of shock tunnels and driver methods, describes the design and performance of an external driver heater for HYPULSE, discusses the system design and regulations for using 1000 SCF of hydrogen gas, and analyzes the experimental performance of unheated helium, unheated hydrogen, heated helium, and heated hydrogen when used as a driver gas in HYPULSE.