HTFD Hypersonic windtunnel

The facility, based on the Ludwieg Tube principle, covers a Mach number range from 6 to 11 while the Reynolds number based on the test-section diameter of 35 cm may vary from 3 to 8 million; the running time is 0.07 to 0.13 sec. The wind tunnel consists of different main parts. In the first component, a 29 meter long tube of which 6 meter is heated, dry air is stored under high pressure and temperature. This storage vessel, is connected to the test section via a fast acting valve (approx. 1 millesecond) and a laval nozzle. The laval nozzle has a total opening angle of 15⁰, resulting in a conical flow field in the test section. The last main component of the tunnel is the vacuum vessel, situated directly after the test section.

Typical research topics

• Investigation of double compression ramps
• Hypersonic capsule aerodynamics
• Development of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) for hypersonic flows
• Study of roughness induced boundary layer transition

Overview of the hypersonic test facility