High enthalpy nozzle flow sensitivity study and effects on heat transfer

Abstract

The sensitivity of the flow along the nozzle and in the test section of high enthalpy wind tunnels to the thermochemical response of the nozzle expansion process, as well as effects on the pressure and heat transfer distributions over the Electre blunt cone standard test model, are examined in the framework of properly characterizing the test section flow field in such facilities. Particularly sensitive to the thermochemical behaviour of the nozzle flow, in the facilities under consideration, are the static pressure, static temperature and Mach number, whereas stagnation point (pitot) pressure and heat transfer data or freestream velocity are inadequate for the characterization of the thermochemical state of the flow. The Electre and nozzle wall pressure data in the F4 arc jet wind tunnel suggest, in contrast to nonequilibrium computations, that the flow in the F4 nozzle is close to equilibrium. In the HEG and, to some extent, the T5 piston-driven shock tunnels, there are indications that significant heat losses occur in the reservoir. Lastly, simple semi-empirical formulations for stagnation point heating are shown to perform reasonably well in high enthalpy flow conditions.