Design and Calibration of a Facility for Film Cooling Research

An existing open circuit wind tunnel has been modified to incorporate a secondary supply loop to provide controlled flow conditions at the inlet to a film cooling hole model. The primary or crossflow fluid enters from atmosphere through a smooth two dimensional contraction before entering the working section. The newly constructed supply loop has a single inlet from a high pressure source, in-line blower, and a 600mm long rectangular passage working section. Various film cooling geometries can be installed to connect the supply loop passage to the main wind tunnel working section. The installation of the supply loop enables variation of cooling hole inlet conditions, including crossflow velocity, mass flow rate, and flow direction. Detailed flow measurements were made to establish uniformity of flow in the supply passage and accurate control of coolant mass flow. A range of operating conditions have been established and calibrated for use in subsequent research.