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Cryogenic transonic wind tunnels and the condensation of nitrogen

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Abstract

A brief tutorial on the need for Reynolds number similarity and the advent of cryogenic transonic wind tunnels is presented. Experimental results of nitrogen condensation in nozzles are collected and related to the flow in the wind tunnels. New theoretical approaches to a solution of the condensation problem in the supersaturated state are proposed.

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Abbreviations

a :

speed of sound

A :

area

{ovc}:

wing area/wing span

c p :

pressure coefficient, Eq. (12)

ΔG * :

energy of formation of a critical droplet, Eq. (14)

h :

altitude

J :

homogeneous nucleation rate, Eq. (13)

k :

Boltzmann constant

l :

characteristic length

M :

Mach number, Eq. (2)

n * :

number of molecules in a critical droplet, Eq. (14)

p :

static pressure

p 0 :

wind tunnel supply pressure

p 0 :

standard pressure

p ∞ :

equilibrium vapor pressure

P :

wind tunnel fan power

q :

dynamic pressure

Re :

Reynolds number, Eq. (1)

t :

time

T :

temperature

T 0 :

wind tunnel supply temperature

ν :

molecular volume

V :

air speed

γ:

ratio of specific heats

η :

dynamic viscosity

v :

kinematic viscosity

ϱ :

density

σ :

surface tension

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale University, 06520, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    P. P. Wegener

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  1. P. P. Wegener
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This paper is dedicated to my old friend Eberhard Berger upon his retirement from the Föttinger Institut of the Technical University of Berlin

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Wegener, P.P. Cryogenic transonic wind tunnels and the condensation of nitrogen. Experiments in Fluids 11, 333–338 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00194865

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00194865

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