A Numerical Simulation of Hypersonic Wind Tunnel Flow

Abstract

In our country, some hypersonic wind tunnels for development of space planes and supersonic transports are now under construction and planned to construct. For designing these wind tunnels, it is indispensable to make use of CFD technology. This paper describes the results of a numerical simulation of the flow passage of a hypersonic wind tunnel. The flow from the hypersonic nozzle, which had exit Mach number of 7. 0, to the supersonic diffuser exit of the hypersonic wind tunnel in National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) was calculated using 3D Navier-Stokes code with q-ω model of turbulence by T. J. Coakley. The calculated results were compared with the experimental data which had been obtained by NAL. Comparison between experiment and calculation showed a reasonable agreement. As for the nozzle, the effect of the wall temperature upon the nozzle exit Mach number distribution was investigated by analysis.