Experimental investigation of mini supersonic wind tunnel for flow visualization

Abstract

The present study proposes to design, fabricate and investigate a miniature supersonic wind tunnel at an affordable cost, safe to operate, and reliable for education purposes. The configuration consists of a high pressure reservoir, and mini tunnel which will be used for providing the supersonic flow over aerodynamic models. To design the mini supersonic wind tunnel, the method of characteristics is used to ensure that any shocks that arise in contact with the surface do not impact the uniformity and velocity of the flow through the duct. To achieve the supersonic flow, the nozzle contour of the supersonic portion of the wind tunnel is built in such a way that the shocks nullify each other and have zero effect on the velocity of the flow. For compressible flow visualization, an affordable Schlieren setup consisting of a torch, mirrors, and a mobile camera is used for flow visualization. Finally, the visualization results of the present study is in good relation with the theoretical calculations. The present facility is also calibrated by measuring the oblique shock angle in the test section, in the range of Mach number 1.6 to 1.8.