Improvements in and relating to wind tunnels

Abstract

Abstract 521,143. Wind tunnels. TRIGGS, W. W. (Akt.-Ges. Brown, Boveri, & Cie). Oct. 6, 1938, No. 28966. [A Specification was laid open to inspection under Sect. 91 of the Acts, April 11, 1939.] [Class 4] The compressor for producing the stream of air in a wind tunnel is driven directly or through electric transmission from a constant pressure gas turbine. A starting motor may be used for augmenting and regulating the turbine at low outputs, or the starting motor may be used alone for outputs up to “ of the maximum after which the turbine may be used alone. Fig. 1 shows a closed wind tunnel in which the air density may be varied by raising or lowering the mean pressure in it. A gas turbine 9 drives an air compressor 10 for supplying air to a combustion chamber 11 which feeds the turbine, the common shaft being coupled to an air compressor 2 in the wind tunnel. A starting motor 12 is provided. The use of a gas turbine enables the tunnel to be used with widely varying wind velocities. An open tunnel is described in which the air sucked through the test chamber by the compressor is fed to the combustion chamber and so to the turbine. Fig. 4 shows a modification in which the turbine drives an alternator 21 electrically coupled to a synchronous motor 23 which drives the air compressor 22 of the wind tunnel. In this case the air supplied to the combustion chamber 16 from the compressor 10 is preheated in a chamber 24 by the exhaust gases from the turbine 9.

Inventors

No inventors recorded.

Bibliographic Details