Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-30T16:34:39.819Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Supercooling in hypersonic nitrogen wind tunnels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

Wayland C. Griffith ,
William J. Yanta  and
William C. Ragsdale
Wayland C. Griffith
Affiliation:
Mars Mission Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695–7921, USA
William J. Yanta
Affiliation:
Aerodynamics Branch, Naval Surface Warfare Center–White Oak, Silver Spring, MD 20903–5000, USA
William C. Ragsdale
Affiliation:
Aerodynamics Branch, Naval Surface Warfare Center–White Oak, Silver Spring, MD 20903–5000, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Recent experimental observation of supercooling in large hypersonic wind tunnels using pure nitrogen identified a broad range of non-equilibrium metastable vapour states of the flow in the test cell. To investigate this phenomenon a number of real-gas effects are analysed and compared with predictions made using the ideal-gas equation of state and equilibrium thermodynamics. The observed limit on the extent of supercooling is found to be at 60% of the temperature difference from the sublimation line to Gibbs’ absolute limit on phase stability. The mass fraction then condensing is calculated to be 12–14%. Included in the study are virial effects, quantization of rotational and vibrational energy, and the possible role of vibrational relaxation and freezing in supercooling. Results suggest that use of the supercooled region to enlarge the Mach–Reynolds number test envelope may be practical. Data from model tests in supercooled flows support this possibility.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 269 , 25 June 1994 , pp. 283 - 299
Copyright
© 1994 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, J. D. 1989 Hypersonic and High Temperature Gas Dynamics. McGraw Hill.
Blythe, P. & Shih, C. J. 1976 Condensation shocks in nozzle flows. J. Fluid Mech. 76, 593–621.Google Scholar
Cullota, S. & Richards, B. E. 1970 Method for determining conditions in real nitrogen expanding flows. VKI TN 58.
Daum, F. L. & Gyarmathy, G. 1968 Condensation in hypersonic wind tunnels. AIAA J. 6, 458.Google Scholar
Din, F. 1961 Thermodynamic Functions of Gases, Vol. 3. Butterworths.
Gibbs, J. W. 1961 The Scientific Papers, Vol. 1. Dover.
Gopal, E. R. S. 1966 Specific Heats at Low Temperatures. Plenum.
Gorbunov, V. N. 1988 Non-Equilibrium Condensation in High Speed Gas Flows. (Translated from Russian.) Gordon & Breach.
Hirschfelder, J. O., Curtiss, C. F. & Bird, R. B. 1954 Molecular Theory of Gases and Liquids. Wiley.
Hollis, B., Griffith, W. & Yanta, W. 1991 Analysis of a Fine-Wire Thermocouple Stagnation Temperature Probe for Use in Hypersonic Flows in Nitrogen. IEEE Publication 91 CH30288, 14th ICIASF.
Hudson, S. T., Griffith, W. C., Lederer, M., Ragsdale, W. C. & Yanta, W. J. 1989 Condensation shocks in hypersonic nitrogen tunnels. AIP Conf. Proc. 208: Current Topics in Shock Waves; 17th Intl Symp. on Shock Waves & Shock Tubes (ed. Y. W. Kim). pp. 784–9.
Jones, K. 1992 Boundary layer study on nozzle wall at hypersonic velocities, PhD thesis, N.C. State University, Raleigh.
Landau, L. & Teller, E. 1936 Zur Theorie der Shalldispersion. Phys. Z. Sowjetunion 10, 34.Google Scholar
Lederer, M., Yanta, W., Ragsdale, W., Hudson, S. & Griffith, W. 1990 Condensation in hypersonic nitrogen wind tunnels. AIAA Paper 90-1392.
Mayer, J. E. & Mayer, M. G. 1940 Statistical Mechanics. Wiley.
National Bureau of Standards TN 648 1973 Thermophysical Properties of Nitrogen from the Fusion Line to 3500 R for Pressures to 150,000 psia. US Dept. of Commerce.
Oswatitsch, K. 1956 Gas Dynamics. Academic.
Rossini, F. D. (ed.) 1955 Thermodynamics and Physics of Matter, pp. 360–372. Princeton.
Sharma, S. P., Ruffin, S. M., Gillespie, W. D. & Meyer, S. A. 1992 Nonequilibrium vibrational population measurements in an expanding flow using spontaneous Raman spectroscopy. AIAA Paper 92-2855.
Shepherd, J. E. & Sturtevant, B. 1974 Rapid evaporation at superheat limit. J. Fluid Mech. 121, 379–402.Google Scholar
Skripov, V. P. 1974 Metastable Liquids, p. 203. (Translated from Russian). Wiley.
Stollery, J. L. & Park, C. 1964 Computer solutions to the problem of vibrational relaxation in hypersonic nozzle flows. J. Fluid Mech. 19, 113–123.Google Scholar
Vincenti, W. G. & Kruger, C. H. 1965 Introduction to Physical Gas Dynamics. Wiley.
Wegener, P. P. 1969 Non-Equilibrium Flows, Part I. Dekker.