Wind tunnel
The wind tunnel is a facility in which a rectilinear, uniform flow of air is created at a controlled rate within a test chamber, and is used to study the effect of air movement around real objects or scaled models. For aeronautical uses, air-flow quality is determined by its uniformity and turbulence levels.
Technical specification
- Closed loop.
- Test chamber: 2x2m² cross section by 3m long.
- Maximum operating speed in the test section: 56m/s, or 48m/s in its aeronautical configuration.
- Nine 22 kW fans (24m³/s and 500 Pa pressure differential).
- Aeronautical testing: >99.5% flow uniformity, and <0.5% turbulence intensity.
Applications:
- Aeronautical testing.
- Civil engineering.
- Renewable energy.
- Sports training.
- Architecture.
Instrumentation:
- 220 kW frequency inverter: this regulates the speed of the fans to control the airflow rate in the test chamber.
- Six component balance.
- Scanivalve pressure sensor.
- Hot-wire anemometer.
- Pitot tubes.
- Comb-type pressure gauge.
- Display systems.