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garfield thomas water tunnel facilities
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LIST OF FACILITIES
Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel (48-inch diameter)
Water Tunnel (12-inch diameter)
Water Tunnel (6-inch diameter)
Ultra-High Speed Cavitation Tunnel (1.5-inch diameter)
Subsonic Wind Tunnel
Cascade Facility
Boundary Layer Research Facility
GARFIELD THOMAS WATER TUNNEL
| Description |
Closed Circuit, Closed Jet |
| Drive System |
4-Blade Adjustable Pitch Impeller |
| Motor Power |
2,000-hp Variable Speed (1,491 kW) |
| Working Section Maximum Velocity |
18.29 m/s |
| Maximum and Minimum Absolute Pressures |
413.7 to 20.7 kPa |
| Cavitation Number Range |
>0.1 dependent on velocity and/or J-range |
| Instrumentation |
Propeller dynamometers, 5-hole probes, pitot probes, lasers, pressure sensors, hydrophones, planar motion mechanism, force balances, accelerometers, acoustics arrays |
| Torque and Thrust Dynamometers |
Model internally mounted, 150-hp limit (111.85 kW) |
| Propeller or Model Size Range |
Model size from 76.2-mm to 635.0-mm inner diameter |
| Tests Performed |
Forces, flowfield, and pressure distributions on bodies of revolution, hydrofoils, propeller, etc.; cavitation performance and noise measurements of propellers, foils, hydrodynamic shapes, etc.; steady state and time-dependent force and torque measurements on powered models; flow visualization, body acceleration levels, shaft/body unsteady forces, and radiated noise |
| Other Remarks |
The tunnel turbulence level is 0.1 percent in test section. Air content can be controlled as low as 1 ppm per mole. Measurement can be made of hydrodynamic functions for stability and control of submerged vehicles. A directional hydrophone system is used for relative acoustic measurements. |
| Published Description |
Lehman, ARL Penn State Report No. NORD 16597-56, Fluid Dynamics Department, Applied Research Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, 1959.
Marboe, R. C., et. al., "Hydroacoustic Research capabilities in the Large Water Tunnel at ARL-Penn State," Proceedings of Symposium on Flow Noise Modeling, Measurement, and Control, NCA-VOL 15/FED-VOL 168, pp. 125-135, ASME Winter Annual Meeting, 28 Nov-3 Dec., 1993. |
12-INCH WATER TUNNEL
| Description |
Closed Circuit, Closed Jet |
| Test Sections |
- Circular 304.8 mm dia. x 762.0 mm long
- Rectangular 508.0 mm x 114.3 mm x 762.0 mm long
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| Drive System |
Mixed Flow Peerless Pump |
| Motor Power |
150 hp (111.8 kW) |
| Working Section Maximum Velocity |
24.38 m/s |
| Maximum and Minimum Absolute Pressures |
413.7 to 20.7 kPa |
| Cavitation Number Range |
>0.1 dependent on velocity |
| Instrumentation |
Lasers, pressure sensors, hydrophones |
| Model Size Range |
50.8-mm maximum diameter |
| Tests Performed |
Steady state and time-dependent force and pressure measurements on unpowered models; noise measurements on cavitating models; three-dimensional flow problems (circular section); two-dimensional flow problems (rectangular section); axial-flow pump tests |
| Other Remarks |
Independent gas control of air content; water filtration with 25-micrometer filters; intermittent operation with drag-reducing additive injection; partial neutralization of additive downstream of test section |
| Published Description |
Lehman, ARL Penn State Report No. NORD 16597-56, 1959. |
6-INCH WATER TUNNEL
| Description |
Closed Circuit, Closed Jet |
| Drive System |
Axial-Flow Pump |
| Motor Power |
25 hp (18.64 kW) |
| Working Section Maximum Velocity |
21.34 m/s |
| Maximum and Minimum Absolute Pressures |
861.9 to 20.7 kPa |
| Cavitation Number Range |
>0.1 dependent on velocity and pressure |
| Instrumentation |
Pressure transducers, lasers |
| Temperature |
Ambient |
| Tests Performed |
Effect of polymers on axial-flow pumps; surface roughness effects on cavitation; probe calibration |
| Other Remarks |
Air content by vacuum pump; water filtered through 25-micron filters as tunnel is filled |
| Published Description |
Kaku, M.S. Thesis, ARL Penn State, 1962. |
1.5-INCH ULTRA-HIGH SPEED CAVITATION TUNNEL
| Description |
Closed Circuit, Closed Jet |
| Drive System |
Centrifugal Variable Speed Drive |
| Motor Power |
75 hp (55.9 kW) |
| Working Section Maximum Velocity |
83.8 m/s |
| Maximum and Minimum Absolute Pressures |
8,274.0 to 41.4 kPa |
| Cavitation Number Range |
>0.01 dependent on tunnel velocity |
| Instrumentation |
Pressure and temperature sensors, lasers. |
| Temperature |
16°C to +176°C |
| Model Size Range |
12.7-mm maximum diameter |
| Tests Performed |
Incipient and dissonant cavitation studies; development cavitation studies; cavitation damage |
| Other Remarks |
Stainless steel tunnel; bronze pump; three filter banks for removal of water, acids, solid particles (10 micrometers) depending on fluid media |
| Published Description |
Weir, Billet, and Holl, ARL Penn State TM 75-188, 1975. |
SUBSONIC WIND TUNNEL
| Description |
Closed Circuit |
| Drive System |
Axial-Flow Blower Variable-Speed |
| Motor Power |
150 hp (111.8 kW) |
| Working Section Maximum Velocity |
45.72 m/s |
| Instrumentation |
Automatic scanning and rotating mechanisms, pressure sensors, hot wires, lasers, smoke generator |
| Tests Performed |
Pressure distributions over hydrodynamic shapes; velocity profiles in propeller planes; hot-wire measurements; wall-interaction effects on hydrofoils; flow visualization |
| Other Remarks |
The tunnel is subsonic and is used for basic and applied research. It is well instrumented for the measurement of model boundary layers and their wake turbulence. |
| Published Description |
Lehman, ARL Penn State Report No. NORD 16597-56, 1959. |
CASCADE FACILITY
| Description |
Open Jet |
| Drive System |
Joy Axial-Flow Fan |
| Motor Power |
20 hp (14.91 kW), 1,750 rpm |
| Working Section Maximum Velocity |
36.58 m/s |
| Test Section |
355.6 mm x 635.0 mm rectangular |
| Characteristics |
Porous-wall side suction of boundary layer, stagger angle (0° to 60°), incidence (±10°), solidity up to three |
| Instrumentation |
Lasers, hot wires, and pressure sensors |
| Tests Performed |
Blade-surface pressure distributions; boundary-layer and wake-pressure surveys |
| Other Remarks |
This facility is used for basic engineering research in turbomachinery blading. |
| Published Description |
Gearhart and Ross, ARL Penn State TM 506.2491-26, 1968. |
BOUNDARY LAYER RESEARCH FACILITY (GLYCERIN)
| Description |
285-mm Constant Diameter Test Section, Closed Circuit |
| Drive System |
Gould Centrifugal Pump |
| Motor Power |
100 hp (74.6 kW) |
| Working Section Maximum Velocity |
6.096 m/s >9 m/s |
| Maximum and Minimum Absolute Pressures |
586.0 to 101.4 kPa |
| Reynolds Number Range |
4,000-15,000 |
| Instrumentation |
Multipoint, multi-component laser Doppler velocimetry, particle image velocimetry, hot film anemometry |
| Tests Performed |
This facility models the turbulent flow of fluids next to a wall at a scale large enough to permit detailed flow measurement of the flow structure in the viscous sublayer. |
| Other Remarks |
Specially designed for research in viscous sublayer; wide Reynolds-number range for turbulent boundary layer research; 20 micrometer filters and heat exchangers; internal surface of test section honed to a 0.41 rms micrometer finish |
| Published Description |
Bakewell, Ph.D. Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, 1966.
Chevrin, Ph.D. Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, 1988. |
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