A new High Enthalpy Arc-heated Tunnel (HEAT) for aerothermodynamic research on hypersonic air flows has been operating at Centrospazio since 1996. Numerical simulation of the flow-field and classical semi-empirical correlations for electric discharges in high pressure gases have been used to extrapolate the available experimental data and predict the performance envelope of the facility in terms of total pressure and specific enthalpy in the test section as functions of the operational constraints imposed by the electric power supply and gas feeding systems. The results show that, with just minor modifications of the experimental apparatus, the Reynolds number per unit length can be increased by an order of magnitude above the value attained in the present configuration. Performance maps of the facility are shown and a comparison with other European hypersonic facilities is provided.
Performance of Centrospazio Hypersonic High Enthalpy Wind Tunnel
PAGANUCCI, FABRIZIO;D'AGOSTINO, LUCA;ANDRENUCCI, MARIANO
1998-01-01
Abstract
A new High Enthalpy Arc-heated Tunnel (HEAT) for aerothermodynamic research on hypersonic air flows has been operating at Centrospazio since 1996. Numerical simulation of the flow-field and classical semi-empirical correlations for electric discharges in high pressure gases have been used to extrapolate the available experimental data and predict the performance envelope of the facility in terms of total pressure and specific enthalpy in the test section as functions of the operational constraints imposed by the electric power supply and gas feeding systems. The results show that, with just minor modifications of the experimental apparatus, the Reynolds number per unit length can be increased by an order of magnitude above the value attained in the present configuration. Performance maps of the facility are shown and a comparison with other European hypersonic facilities is provided.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
