Separation of a turbulent supersonic boundary layer with heat supply ahead of a flat step

The influence of an electric discharge in a supersonic gas flow modeled by a heat source with a specified intensity and configuration on the development of a turbulent boundary layer ahead of a flat step is numerically studied. If the discharge power is sufficiently large, it is demonstrated that heat transfer to the wall does not affect the position of separation, which arises due to a non-zero shear stress on the body surface and is caused by the development of a reverse flow in the core of the boundary layer.