Nozzle development for an expansion tunnel

At the present time, ground based test facilities are unable to provide data for the full range of scramjet flight conditions. However, an opportunity exists in which the hardware for the RHYFL shock tunnel could be utilized to create a large expansion tube, RHYFL-X. This paper is part of a continuing project to investigate the use of RHYFL-X as a scramjet test facility. The long term aim of this project is to further validate the previous numerical studies and the claims that the attachment of a nozzle onto an expansion tube will not only increase the core flow diameter but also increase the steady time available for testing. This present paper reviews the literature available for expansion tunnels and presents potential operating conditions for the X2 expansion tube with its new single stage driver.

[1]  Glenn D. Norfleet,et al.  A THEORETICAL REAL-GAS ANALYSIS OF THE EXPANSION TUNNEL , 1966 .

[2]  Jack D. Whitfield,et al.  RESULTS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF AN EXPANSION TUBE , 1966 .

[3]  Peter A. Jacobs,et al.  The starting processes of an expansion tube nozzle , 2002 .

[4]  L. B. Callis.  An analysis of supersonic flow phenomena in conical nozzles by a method of characteristics , 1966 .

[5]  Peter A. Jacobs.  IMOC: Interactive Method-of-Characteristics for Two-Dimensional Supersonic Flow , 2000 .

[6]  Ivett Leyva.  Study of the addition of a divergent nozzle to an expansion tube for increasing test time , 1994 .

[7]  Con J. Doolan,et al.  A two stage free-piston driver for expansion tubes , 1996 .

[8]  Peter A. Jacobs,et al.  An interactive method-of-characteristics program for gas-dynamic calculations , 1991 .

[9]  John I. Erdos,et al.  Design, calibration and analysis of a tunnel mode of operation for the HYPULSE facility , 1996 .

[10]  B. S. Stewart,et al.  Predicted scramjet testing capabilities of the proposed RHYFL-X expansion tube , 2004 .

[11]  Peter A. Jacobs,et al.  Establishment of test conditions in the RHYFL-X facility , 2001 .

[12]  Peter A. Jacobs,et al.  The RHYFL facility as a high performance expansion tube for scramjet testing , 2000 .

[13]  R. L. Trimpi,et al.  A perfect-gas analysis of the expansion tunnel, a modification to the expansion tube , 1965 .

[14]  S. Knoeoes.  Theoretical and Experimental Study of Piston Gas-Heating with Laminar Energy Losses , 1971 .

[15]  John I. Erdos,et al.  Facility opportunities and associated stream chemistry considerations for hypersonic air-breathing propulsion , 1994 .

[16]  Robert L. Trimpi,et al.  A Preliminary Theoretical Study of the Expansion Tube, a New Device for Producing High-Enthalpy Short-Duration Hypersonic Gas Flows , 1962 .

[17]  Richard G. Morgan,et al.  A review of the use of expansion tubes for creating superorbital flows , 1997 .

[18]  Robert A Palmer.  Measurement of heat transfer in superorbital flows , 2000 .

[19]  R. J. Stalker,et al.  Development of a hypervelocity wind tunnel , 1972, The Aeronautical Journal (1968).

[20]  C. G. Miller,et al.  Development and performance of the NASA Langley Research Center expansion tube/tunnel, a hypersonic-hypervelocity real-gas facility , 1984 .

[21]  L. B. Callis.  A theoretical study of the effect on expansion-tube performance of area changes at primary and secondary diaphragm stations , 1966 .