METHOD OF GENERATING GAS STREAM IN HYPERSONIC RAREFIED-AIR WIND TUNNEL AND WIND TUNNEL Russian patent published in 2013 - IPC G01M9/02 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: disclosed is a method of generating a stream and a continuous-action wind tunnel which covers the entire hypersonic range of speeds with Mach number M≥5, wherein to generate a high-pressure gas, liquefied gas is used instead of multiple-stage compressors. The method involves creating a vacuum in a vacuum chamber, generating a high-pressure gas and controlling pressure thereof; heating the gas, pumping the gas from the vacuum chamber is carried out using cryopumps; gas from the vacuum chamber is chilled on cryopanels into a solid phase; and the cryopanels are regenerated by releasing gas at a higher pressure and temperature into the insulated cavity of the cryopump. The liquefied gas obtained as a result of regeneration is fed into a reservoir for storing liquefied gas which, when necessary, is converted to a high-pressure gas and fed into the reservoir for storing high-pressure gas and used in systems for generating, controlling pressure and heating the gas. The apparatus has a high-pressure gas source with a pressure control system, a gas heater, a hypersonic nozzle, a working part, a diffuser, a system for cooling gas after passing through the working part, a vacuum chamber, pumps for preliminary and final pumping of gas from the vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber is evacuated using cryopumps in which gas is not released from the evacuated chamber but is condensed into a solid phase on pre-cooled cryopanels. The cryopanels are made from porous metal with an open pore system. Pulsed operating mode of the cryopumps, i.e. pre-chilling of cryopanels before operation and in intervals between launches, and the porous cryopanels enable to "recycle" virtually any gas flow through the hypersonic nozzle. The outer surface of the hypersonic nozzle inside the working part of the wind tunnel is provided with coils for cooling the nozzle walls, wherein the system for cooling the high-pressure gas coming from the working part is placed inside the vacuum chamber. Furthermore, the wind tunnel has a liquefied gas reservoir with a transfer pump and expander-generator sets for generating electrical energy.

EFFECT: faster gas pumping, low power consumption when producing high-pressure gas, longer operation of a wind tunnel, wider range of analysed models with invariable geometric parameters of the nozzle outlet section.

2 cl, 1 dwg