Design and analysis of the thermal-insulation panel for the test section of the environmental wind tunnel

Abstract

Thermal-insulation panels are an important part of the test section for the environmental wind tunnel, which has the function of ensuring uniform airflow temperature and reducing heat loss. Considering many factors such as temperature, humidity, and pressure, it is determined that the average heat dissipation rate of the insulation panel’s outer surface temperature is less than 20 W/m2. The temperature difference between the outer surface of the insulation layer and the environment is not more than 10°C when the airflow temperature inside the test section reaches 95 °C. There is no condensation on the insulation layer when the airflow temperature inside the test section is -10 °C. By comparing various schemes, a phenolic foam was selected as the thermal-insulation material, and process measures such as liquid raw material mixing foaming and special equipment were adopted to complete the fabrication of the panels, and a composite assembly method was adopted to build panels in the test section. The results show that the thermal-insulation panel’s structure is conformed to the requirements of wind-tunnel operation and heat loss, which provides an important basis for reference for the construction of relevant test equipment.