Wind Tunnels


We recently acquired a 6" square cross-section ELD 401 wind tunnel which is used primarily in undergraduate instruction.

This is the "turbulent boundary-layer generator," a subsonic open-circuit wind tunnel designed and built by Rocketdyne for optical studies of turbulent wall-bounded flow at the AF Phillips Laboratory Starfire Optical Range. This wind tunnel is a gift to UNM from the Phillips Lab. Nominal design velocity is 18 m/s through the 50 cm (high) by 10 cm (wide) test section which is 3 m long. The maximum flow Reynolds number is of order 106 per meter. Silicon rubber heating pads are attached to the aluminum walls in the upstream part of the test section; the temperature of each wall may be controlled separately. Optical-quality windows (13 and 35 cm) are installed in the downstream portion of the test section to allow optical measurement of the flow field. Thermal anemometry and laser-based diagnostic systems are used for flow studies.