EML 5714 & EAS 4132

Fall 2014
Supersonic Wind Tunnel Design Project
Due: December 10, 2014
This assignment is to be turned no later than 5:00 pm (Gainesville time) electronically
through the assignment utility in elearning interface.

You are asked to do some preliminary design analysis to determine the requirements and
design parameters for a supersonic wind tunnel to be built for a new lab in the
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department.
You are exploring the high
pressure storage requirements, operating pressure, mass flow rates and other critical
parameters to determine the feasible Mach number range and size of this tunnel.

The figure above shows an existing tunnel in which the essential components have been
marked. You are asked to perform the analysis for the following test section sizes, tunnel
Mach numbers and diffuser specifications (it is simply a diverging diffuser and not with a
second throat). The tunnel exhausts to the ambient environment, where the back pressure
is Patm. The starting stagnation temperature of the supply air is 300 K for all conditions,
unless specified otherwise.
PartA:
Test Section Cross-section Dimensions (height x width): 4x 3 in; 6 x 6 in and 12 x 12 in
Tunnel Mach Numbers: 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 and 5.0
Diverging Diffuser Specifications: 3o, 4o and 5o

For the above, determine the following:

1. The size of the C-D nozzle throat
2. The tunnel stagnation pressure required to hold the shock 5h downstream of the
test section into the diffuser, where h is the test-section height.
3. The mass flow rates for the above stagnation pressures

4. The storage volume necessary to provide a minimum run time of 3 minutes for the
following maximum storage tank pressures using the assumptions of isentropic
expansion of the gas in the storage volume and isothermal expansion:
a. 225 psi
b. 600 psi
c. 1000 psi
d. 2000 psi
Note that not all of the above storage pressures may be possible for all of the
Mach numbers.

PartB:
Considering only tunnel Mach numbers of 1.5, 2 and 3, with test section cross-sectional
areas of 6 x 6 in and 12 x 12 in and a diffuser divergence angle of 3o; calculate the
following.
1. An angle of the sidewalls of the test section that would be required to keep the
Mach number in the test section constant. Use a test section length of 2 times its
height.

Additional Notes:
1. State all of your assumptions
2. Since you are asked to perform the analysis for a range of conditions, it is
advisable to present the results graphically. You need to consider this carefully
and determine the most appropriate way to show your results such that they are
easy to interpret and illustrate trends.
3. A clear easy to follow sample calculation for each of the above questions should
be shown. You do not need to show the calculations for all of the conditions.
Copying and pasting of Excel, Maple, Matlab, MathCad, etc is not a sample
calculation.