Mathematical Modeling of Wind-Tunnel Thermal Behavior

Abstract

The development from basic fluid-mechanic equations of a mathematical model for the thermal behavior of a closed-circuit wind tunnel is presented. As part of the model development, various parameters such as total pressure loss factors and heat transfer coefficients are identified that are required by the mathematical model to produce a high-fidelity simulation of the behavior of an actual wind tunnel. Techniques for the measurement of these parameters, as well as results for a subsonic closed-circuit wind tunnel, are presented. After incorporating these experimentally measured parameters into the mathematical model, the model is shown to predict wall and air temperatures in the actual wind tunnel to within experimental accuracy for both static and dynamic testing.