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Heavy gas mixtures for wind tunnel use

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

S. K. J. Al-Ani  and
E. A. Johnson
S. K. J. Al-Ani
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of SurreyGuildford, Surrey
E. A. Johnson
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of SurreyGuildford, Surrey
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Extract

The advantages of using heavy gases in wind tunnels—reduced power consumption and scale size — have been appreciated for some time. To be sure of correct scaling of the results from such a tunnel, the working fluid should have a specific-heat-ratio γ equal to that of air (γ = 1·4); such a fluid can be obtained as a mixture of a monatomic gas with a polyatomic one. Here, general principles for choosing such a mixture are discussed, and estimates are given for the savings in size and scale which may be expected (compared to a conventional tunnel), following earlier work of Chapman.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 87 , Issue 866 , July 1983 , pp. 237 - 240
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1983 

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Footnotes

*

Present address: Department of Physics, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex.

References

1. Smelt, R. Power economy in high-speed wind tunnels by choice of working fluid and temperature. RAE Report No. AERO 2081, 1945.Google Scholar
2. Chapman, D. R. Some possibilities of using gas mixtures other than air in aerodynamic research. NACA Tech. Note. 3226, 1954.Google Scholar
3. Wilke, C. R. A viscosity equation for gas mixtures. J. Chem. Phys, 1950, 18, 517.Google Scholar
4. Al-Ani, S. K. J. and Johnson, E. A. Heavy gas mixtures for wind tunnels. Final Report, RAE-Surrey Contract AT/2064/052,1981.Google Scholar
5.British Oxygen Special Gas Division, private communication, 1981.Google Scholar