School of Aerospace Engineering

Supersonic Windtunnels
• For supersonic wind tunnels, closed circuit tunnel
requires less power to operate vs. open tunnels
– do not have to accelerate flow as much
Nozzle Diffuser

M<1 M>1 M<1

Test Section
heat exchanger makes up
removes To po losses
increase from
compressor Cooler Compressor
• Use two CD nozzles (really nozzle and diffuser)
– need subsonic flow afterward, e.g., for compressor
– less po loss than using shock to get subsonic flow

AE2010
Starting Problem Supersonic Windtunnels -1

Copyright © 2001, 2018, 2020 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.

School of Aerospace Engineering

Starting Problem
• What happens during po M>1 pb
tunnel startup
Test Section
– no initial velocity
– pressure uniform
throughout tunnel Cooler Compressor
– start tunnel by changing po/pb using compressor
• As raise po/pb, start with subsonic flow everywhere
– eventually reach M=1 at 1st throat (if A t1A t2)
p/po
1 p b

Mtest<1 M<1 M=1 M<1 M<1

p*/po
A t1 A t2
x
AE2010
Starting Problem Supersonic Windtunnels -2

Copyright © 2001, 2018, 2020 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.

1
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Starting Shock
• Further increase
in po/pb
M<1 =1 >1 M<1 M<1
– normal shock in
diverging section A t1 A t2
of “nozzle” 4 60

• Can At2=At1? g=1.4 (s2-s1)/R 50

– A* increase across shock

3

po2/p01,(s2-s1)/R
40

(A2/A1* ~ po1/po2)

A*2 /A*1
2 30

– to get same mass flowrate po2/po1=ro2/ro1 20

through 2nd throat, At2 > At1 1
A*2/A*1 10

• How big does At2 have to be? 0 0

– biggest po loss for strongest shock

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
M1
 shock in test section

AE2010
Starting Problem Supersonic Windtunnels -3

Copyright © 2001, 2018, 2020 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.

School of Aerospace Engineering

Swallowing Shock
• So raise po/pb until
shock enters test M<1 =1 >1 M2 <1 M<1 =1 <1
section A t1 A t2
– M in test section
= M2 after shock M1=Mtest
• To have shock
“disappear,” must M<1 =1 >1 >1 >1
M=Mtest>1
pass through A t1 A t2
2nd throat
– At2=A2*@M2 after shock at Mtest
– increase po/pb slightly above previous case
– shock leaves test section, enters “diffuser”
– A2* drops (M); shock keeps going; shock swallowed

AE2010
Starting Problem Supersonic Windtunnels -4

Copyright © 2001, 2018, 2020 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.

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 School of Aerospace Engineering

Operating Conditions
• Want to run tunnel
with lowest power
requirements M<1 =1 Mdesign>1 M>1 >1 >1
A t1 A t2
– lowest po loss
– operate with weakest shock possible
• Fixed diffuser throat area
– weakest shock (M lowest) when it is
at diffuser throat M>1 >1 <1
– more stable operation (for po/pb variations) A t2
if shock just downstream of throat
• Variable diffuser throat area
– lowest po loss for no shock (M=1)
M>1 =1 <1
– reduce At2 to At1 (stability, At2= At1 ) A t2

AE2010
Starting Problem Supersonic Windtunnels -5

Copyright © 2001, 2018, 2020 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.

School of Aerospace Engineering

Example: Windtunnel Design

• Given: Supersonic po M>1 pb

windtunnel designed
Test Section
to run on N2 (nitrogen)
and operate at Mtest=3,
with 1 m2 test section Cooler Compressor

• Find:
1. Minimum diffuser throat area to start tunnel
i.e., get supersonic flow in test section
2. Maximum po loss during startup
3. Minimum po loss during operation for fixed area diffuser
• Assume: N2 is tpg/cpg with g=1.4 (for “low” T)

AE2010
Starting Problem Supersonic Windtunnels -6

Copyright © 2001, 2018, 2020 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.

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Solution: Windtunnel Design

• Analysis: Diffuser Throat
– During startup, diffuser po1 M1=3 M2 po2
throat must be just large A th,N Ath,D
enough to handle total mass flowrate with po2 after
strongest shock (in test section)  Ath,D=A*2
Ath , D = A2* = A1* A2* A1*   M 1 =3

= Atest A Atest  *
1  A M =3
*
2 A1*  M 1 =3

isen: (V.B2) shock: (V.C17 A2*/A1*=po1/po2 from V.C13)

Ath,D /Ath,N = 3.05

1 1
Ath , D = 1m 2 = 0.72m 2 much bigger
4.23 0.328
AE2010
Starting Problem Supersonic Windtunnels -7

Copyright © 2001, 2018, 2020 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.

School of Aerospace Engineering

Solution: Windtunnel Design (con’t)

• Analysis: Pressure Losses
– During startup, max. po po1 M1=3 M2 po2
loss for strongest shock Ath,N Ath,D
 in test section
po 2 po1 =  po 2 po1  M = 0.328  67% po loss
1 =3

shock: (V.C13) M>1 <1

– During operation, min. po loss for weakest shock A th,D
 at diffuser throat  need M at throat (M1, A>A 1)
*

Ath , D A* = Ath , D Ath , N = 3.05  Mth,D=2.66 to lower po loss:

isen: (V.B2)
variable throat
po 2 po1 =  po 2 po1  M = 2.66 = 0.438  56% po loss required for
1
shock: (V.C13)
high M tunnels

AE2010
Starting Problem Supersonic Windtunnels -8

Copyright © 2001, 2018, 2020 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.