scholarly journals Turbulence investigation in the VTI’s experimental aerodynamics laboratory

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (suppl. 3) ◽  
pp. 629-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slavica Ristic ◽  
Suzana Linic ◽  
Marija Samardzic
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Test Section ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Technical Information ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Wind Tunnels ◽  
Main Requirement ◽  
Measurement Results ◽  
Experimental Aerodynamics ◽  
Flow Quality

Wind tunnels are the aerodynamic laboratories which task is to enable high quality and stabile airflow in controlled volume, a test section, during run time, in order to study the effects of streaming around various aeronautical or nonaeronautical models (airfoils and bluff bodies with complex motorized or robotic constructions). The main requirement that leads to quality and reliable measurement results is a high flow quality in the test section: uniformity of the velocity and pressure fields along and across the test section, low turbulence level and low flow direction angularities or swirling. The knowledge of low parameters enables the exchange of the scientific and technical information, comparison of the experimental results from different wind tunnels and data scaling of the model to the real scale. The turbulence intensity TI significantly affects the wind tunnel results and reduction of turbulence is of the highest importance for the quality measurements. This paper presents the Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory of the VTI in Belgrade, the equipment and methods of turbulence measurements in the test section stream and around different test models. Wind tunnel facilities maintain equipment and devices for sampling, acquisition and data reduction for various test types, from forces and moment measurements, over the pressure distribution measurements to the advanced measurements, followed with the appropriate flow visualization techniques. The modern instrumentation enables determine flow quality and its influence on tests and measurement results of static and dynamic model characteristics.

scholarly journals Experimental Investigation of a Prandtl Probe Fabricated Using Desktop Stereolithography Technology

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 1274-1280
Author(s):  
Alfred Gift Mwachugha ◽  
Jean Byiringiro ◽  
Harrison Ngetha ◽  
Thomas Carolus ◽  
Kathrin Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Wind Tunnels ◽  
Research Institution ◽  
Flow Characterization ◽  
Desktop Manufacturing ◽  
Flow Quality ◽  
Manufacturing Platform

A Prandtl probe is one of the standard instruments used for flow characterization in wind tunnel facilities. The convectional fabrication method of this instrument requires skilled artisanship, precision drilling, lathing and soldering of its several parts. This reflects into high costs of production in turn making wind energy studies expensive. With the adoption of additive manufacturing, the tooling costs, skills required and design to manufacture constraints can be addressed. This research presents a Prandtl probe that was designed using NX™ software, fabricated by desktop stereolithography additive manufacturing platform and validated in a wind tunnel for velocity range of 0 m/s to 51 m/s. This research attested the option of fabricating relatively cheap functional Prandtl probe with desktop stereolithography technology which can be used for accurate determination of flow quality in wind tunnels experiments. This provides various learning and research institution in developing countries that have already invested in additive desktop manufacturing technology certainty and a cheaper option to fabricate wind research instruments for use at their laboratories. Moreover, fabrication and validation of a 5-hole Prandtl probe can also be examined.

Control of separation in the concave portion of contraction to improve the flow quality

2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (1141) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Ghorbanian ◽  
M. R. Soltani ◽  
M. D. Manshadi ◽  
M. Mirzaei
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Pressure Distribution ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Test Section ◽  
Adverse Pressure Gradient ◽  
Wind Tunnel Experiments ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Static Pressure Distribution ◽  
Subsonic Wind Tunnel ◽  
Flow Quality

AbstractSubsonic wind tunnel experiments were conducted to study the effect of forced transition on the pressure distribution in the concave portion of contraction. Further more, the effect of early transition on the turbulence level in the test section of the wind tunnel is studied. Measurements were performed by installing several trip strips at two different positions in the concave portion of the contraction. The results show that installation of the trip strips, have significant effects on both turbulence intensity and on the pressure distribution. The reduction in the free stream turbulence as well as the wall static pressure distribution varied significantly with the location of the trip strip. The results confirm the significant impact of the tripped boundary layer on the control of adverse pressure gradient. The trip strip atX/L= 0.115 improves pressure distribution in contraction and reduces turbulence intensity in the test section, considerably.

A Novel Single-Passage Transonic Wind Tunnel for Turbine-Vane Film Cooling

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Qenawy ◽  
Lin Yuan ◽  
Yingzheng Liu ◽  
Di Peng ◽  
Xin Wen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Film Cooling ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Wind Tunnels ◽  
Single Passage ◽  
Turbine Vane ◽  
Response Pressure ◽  
Transonic Wind Tunnel

Abstract Wind-tunnel testing of turbines cascade is an important technique for quantifying the realistic conditions of turbine-vane film cooling. However, the complex and expensive facilities needed for the multipassage design of such wind tunnels have prompted the introduction of the single-passage design strategy. In this contribution, detailed procedures for building a novel single-passage transonic wind-tunnel using additive manufacturing are presented. In addition, the detailed flow structure caused by the passage was investigated. The proposed design was evaluated step-by-step using an integrated model that successively comprised two-dimensional (2D) periodic passage simulation, 2D single-passage simulation, three-dimensional (3D) single-passage simulation, construction, and testing. The proposed design was found to achieve flow periodicity at transonic flow conditions with relatively low-flow consumption. The results were validated by comparison to the available literature data. In addition, an endwall-cooling configuration was successfully deployed using fast-response pressure-sensitive paint (fast-PSP). This study, combined with the help of commercial software and 3D printing, shed light upon strategies for time- and cost-reduction in linear cascade design, which could benefit the turbomachinery community.

Advanced Flow Control for Supersonic Blowdown Wind Tunnel Using Extended Kalman Filter

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaqi Xi ◽  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Mian Li ◽  
Zhaoguang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Kalman Filter ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Extended Kalman Filter ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Test Section ◽  
Stagnation Pressure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Wind Tunnels ◽  
Wide Range

Supersonic wind tunnels provide controlled test environments for aerodynamic research on scaled models. During the experiment, the stagnation pressure in the test section is required to remain constant. Due to the nonlinearity and distributed characteristics of the controlled system, a robust controller with effective flow control algorithms is required, which is then capable of properly working under different operating conditions. In this paper, an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) based flow control strategy is proposed and implemented in the controller. The control strategy is designed based on the state estimation of a real blowdown wind tunnel, which is carried out under an EKF structure. One of the distinctive advantages of the proposed approach is its adaptability to a wide range of operating conditions for blowdown wind tunnels. Furthermore, it provides a systematic approach to tune the controller parameters to ensure the stability of the controlled air flow. Experiments with different initial conditions and control targets have been conducted to test the applicability and performance of the designed controller. The results demonstrate that the controller and its strategies can effectively control the stagnation pressure in the test section and maintain the target pressure during the stable stage of the blowdown process.

Numerical and experimental investigations on the reduction of wind tunnel wall interference by means of adaptive slots

2001 ◽  
Vol 105 (1052) ◽  
pp. 571-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Meyer ◽  
W. Nitsche ◽  
I. Futterer
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Test Section ◽  
Wind Tunnels ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Reference Case ◽  
Tunnel Wall ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Model Flow ◽  
Flexible Walls ◽  
Basic Studies

Abstract The flow in many wind tunnel experiments is affected by the presence of test section walls. The resulting interference can be minimised by correcting the measured model pressures, or by influencing the model flow directly with the use of ventilated or adaptive test section walls. The objective behind the latter technique is to guide the flow in the test section to achieve low interference (i.e. free flow) condition at the model. The most successful technique of flexible, adaptive walls is still restricted to small research wind tunnels due to its mechanical complexity. However, a very promising alternative is the use of adaptive slots in the test section walls. This concept combines the method of passive slotted walls, as they are already implemented in many large wind tunnels, and flexible walls. Additionally, this technique presents the opportunity of full 3D adaptations because the slots can be situated in all four test section walls. This paper presents preliminary experimental results and the latest numerical calculations on the effectiveness of adaptive slots. The experiments were conducted under high subsonic flow conditions in the new slotted test section of the transonic wind tunnel at TU Berlin’s Aeronautical Institute (ILR). The numerical results presented are focussed on the 2D slot adaptation of a 2D-model (CAST7 aerofoil) and the 3D slot adaptation of a body of revolution (3D-ETB). In addition, basic studies were made of the flows associated with a single slot on one wall and a bump on the other. The numerical and the first experimental investigations have shown the potential of adaptive slots to reduce wall interferences effectively. The adaptation accuracy of the investigated slot configurations deviated not more than 3% from the reference case (2D-wall adaptation).

scholarly journals Design, Construction and Commissioning of the Braunschweig Icing Wind Tunnel

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan E. Bansmer ◽  
Arne Baumert ◽  
Stephan Sattler ◽  
Inken Knop ◽  
Delphine Leroy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Test Section ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Convective Cloud ◽  
Ice Crystals ◽  
Wind Tunnels ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Water Contents ◽  
Design Construction

Abstract. Beyond its physical importance in both fundamental and climate research, atmospheric icing is considered as a severe operational condition in many engineering applications like aviation, electrical power transmission and wind-energy production. To reproduce such icing conditions in a laboratory environment, icing wind tunnels are frequently used. Creating and maintaining a stable icing cloud in the tunnel test section yields different design constraints compared to conventional wind tunnels. In this paper, a comprehensive overview on the design, construction and commissioning of the Braunschweig icing wind tunnel is given. The tunnel features a test section of 0.5 m x 0.5 m with peak velocities of up to 40 m/s. The static temperature ranges from −25 °C to +30 °C. Supercooled droplet icing with liquid water contents up to 3 g/m³ can be reproduced. Outstanding ability of the tunnel is to simulate ice crystal icing with natural ice crystals for ice water contents up to 20 g/m³. We further show, how current state-of-the-art measurement techniques for particle sizing perform on ice crystals. The data is compared to those of in-flight measurements in mesoscale convective cloud systems in tropical regions. Finally, some applications of the icing wind tunnel are mentioned.

A Small Wind Tunnel Significantly Improved by a Multi-Purpose, Two-Flexible-Wall Test Section

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kankainen ◽  
E. Brundrett ◽  
J. A. Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Test Section ◽  
Side Wall ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Free Data ◽  
Wall Panels ◽  
Testing Data ◽  
Flexible Wall ◽  
Flow Quality

A small open-return wind tunnel has been renovated to include a longer test section with a flexible roof and floor and improved entrance flow quality. The flexible-wall test section allows models with up to 30 percent nominal blockage to be tested, resulting in a significant increase in the maximum attainable Reynolds numbers. Interchangeable rigid side-wall panels allow flexibility of application which is essential for a university wind tunnel facility. Configurations have been developed for automotive, aerodynamic and atmospheric-boundary-layer testing. Data acquisition and wall positioning are at an economical semi-automated level of operation. The flexible-wall concept has been well-documented previously, and provides interference-free data without flow pattern assumptions after a few iterations of the roof and floor shape. Representative data are presented for a circular cylinder and an airfoil.

scholarly journals Lift Interference in Wind Tunnels with Perforated and Solid Walls

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-111
Author(s):  
Mihaela MANEA ◽  
Adrian BURGHIU
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Classical Theory ◽  
Test Section ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
Wind Tunnels ◽  
Wind Tunnel Testing ◽  
Principle Of Superposition ◽  
Tunnel Wall ◽  
Test Article ◽  
Solid Walls

In order to obtain accurate results in wind tunnel testing it is necessary to determine the effect of interaction between the flow around the model and the test section walls. In this paper, the classical theory for wind tunnel wall corrections assessment is used to evaluate the wall induced change in the circulation caused by the presence of the test article in the wind tunnel. This primary correction, also known as lift interference is based on the test section geometry and it is applied to the test article angle of attack. The computations performed in this paper employ the assumption of the potential linearized flow between the test section walls and the model. As well, the principle of superposition is a key element in this analysis.

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