The HyPIR Testbed
Riverside Research’s Hypersonic Plasma Interaction Research (HyPIR) Testbed, located in Beavercreek, OH, is a dedicated test capability for plasma-material and plasma-EM interactions for the evaluation and study of low TRL materials and apertures for hypersonic applications.
HyPIR complements existing facilities by providing fast, cost-effective, and comprehensive testing capabilities. Dedicated to advancing and accelerating hypersonic material development through diagnostics, experimentation, and innovation, HyPIR addresses the stress associated with ground test capacity with less limitations than the standard lab.
HyPIR Testbed specializes in plasma testing that mirrors real-world operational conditions. We offer a unique advantage: the ability to analyze novel, compact samples in extreme environments using non-intrusive, high-resolution methods. By measuring electromagnetic properties in-situ and tracking gas dynamics at the atomic level, we provide unmatched insights into material performance through advanced laser-based characterization.
HyPIR Testbed Benefits
Cost Effective, Rigorous, and Rapid Testing
- Accommodate small “under development” samples
- Efficient testing turnaround times
- Rapid testing reduces operation cost per sample
Precise Control Over Surrounding Environment
- Vacuum environments up to atmospheric pressures
- Single- and multi-species gas with controllable concentrations
- Auxiliary sample heating
Complete Suite of Active Diagnostics
- High-resolution spatially, temporally, and species resolved laser diagnostics to fully capture oxidation mechanisms
- In-situ characterization of microwave and IR dielectric windows
- Material surface chemistry analysis
Application for HyPIR Testbed
- Plasma-material interactions at extreme temperatures
- High-Temperature dielectric testing (surface effects, complex permittivity, and permeability)
- Atomic oxygen exposure studies
- Electromagnetic transmission and “Blackout” mitigation
- Non-intrusive diagnostic validation
- Cross-Facility diagnostic standardization
HyPIR Testbed Capabilities
The HyPIR Testbed primarily targets testing of hypersonic window materials at high temperature (<2000 °C) while exposed to a hypersonic plasma with relevant environmental chemistry. The Testbed includes a helicon plasma source for generating the hypersonic plasma environment with known concentrations of gas phase species such as atomic oxygen. Independent sample heating is provided by a 1 kW laser.
Testbed diagnostics for the environment include Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF), Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES), and Langmuir probes for determining the flow field characteristics. While diagnostics for the window samples include Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), mid infrared interferometry, pyrometry, and complex permittivity measurements to measure sample properties during testing. A list of capabilities is given below:
HyPIR Testbed
- Plasma Source: Helicon; Inductively Coupled Plasma
- Gasses: Air, O2, N2, Ar, Xe, CO2
- Sample Temperature: <2000 °C
- Pressures: 1 µTorr to 1 Torr
- Oxygen Atom Partial Pressures: Mach 5-10; Altitude > 25 km
- Plasma Density: < 1 x 1021 m-3
- Sample Size: < 3 in
- Tests per Day: 4-6 test dependent
- Test Duration: Typically, up to 10 minutes (longer test durations achievable depending on test conditions)
Diagnostics
- Focus Beam X-Band (8-12 GHz): Complex ε & µ
- MWIR Interferometry (1−4.5𝜇m): Complex ε & µ
- Pyrometry: Sample temperature
- Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF): Velocity, density, partial pressures
- Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES): Electron temperature, species composition
- Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS): Material surface chemistry including oxidation
Availability starting October 2026.
Download the Hypersonic Plasma Interaction Research (HyPIR) Testbed flyer:
HyPIR Testbed Informational Flyer