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Volume 12
Issue 5
10.3390/aerospace12050366
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Article

Numerical Investigation of a Supersonic Wind Tunnel Diffuser Optimization

by
Riccardo Nicoletti
1,†,
Francesco Margani
1,2,†,
Luca Armani
1,2,†,
Antonella Ingenito
1,*,
Chihiro Fujio
3,
Hideaki Ogawa
3,
Seoeum Han
4,† and
Bok Jik Lee
4,5
1
Department of Advanced Space Propulsion, Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, University of Rome La Sapienza, 00185 Roma, Italy
2
GAUSS S.r.l., 00138 Roma, Italy
3
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
4
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
5
Institute of Advanced Aerospace Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Aerospace 2025, 12(5), 366; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12050366
Submission received: 17 January 2025 / Revised: 15 April 2025 / Accepted: 17 April 2025 / Published: 23 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and Challenges in Hypersonic Propulsion)
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Abstract

The objective of this study is to enhance the methodology for the design of a supersonic wind tunnel, improving the process with advanced computational techniques. The supersonic wind tunnel is intended to operate within a flight envelope of Mach 2.5 to 4 and altitudes between 18 and 20 km; this study focuses on the operative condition of Mach 3.5. The research is based on computational fluid dynamics, enabling a deeper understanding of fluid flow phenomena that can deteriorate the operability of the wind tunnel. Additionally, a detailed mesh independence study has been conducted to ensure the reliability and robustness of the computational results. These new analyses allowed for a more comprehensive optimization in the state of the art of tunnel geometry and operational conditions, further enhancing the ability to sustain supersonic flow for extended durations. Particular attention was given to the second throat, which plays a crucial role in the overall performance of the facility, especially during the start-up process. Its design has been refined to improve efficiency by reducing the minimum starting pressure.
Keywords: supersonic wind tunnel; blowdown wind tunnel; CFD; second throat optimization; nozzle design; hypersonic supersonic wind tunnel; blowdown wind tunnel; CFD; second throat optimization; nozzle design; hypersonic

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Nicoletti, R.; Margani, F.; Armani, L.; Ingenito, A.; Fujio, C.; Ogawa, H.; Han, S.; Lee, B.J. Numerical Investigation of a Supersonic Wind Tunnel Diffuser Optimization. Aerospace 2025, 12, 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12050366

AMA Style

Nicoletti R, Margani F, Armani L, Ingenito A, Fujio C, Ogawa H, Han S, Lee BJ. Numerical Investigation of a Supersonic Wind Tunnel Diffuser Optimization. Aerospace. 2025; 12(5):366. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12050366

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nicoletti, Riccardo, Francesco Margani, Luca Armani, Antonella Ingenito, Chihiro Fujio, Hideaki Ogawa, Seoeum Han, and Bok Jik Lee. 2025. "Numerical Investigation of a Supersonic Wind Tunnel Diffuser Optimization" Aerospace 12, no. 5: 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12050366

APA Style

Nicoletti, R., Margani, F., Armani, L., Ingenito, A., Fujio, C., Ogawa, H., Han, S., & Lee, B. J. (2025). Numerical Investigation of a Supersonic Wind Tunnel Diffuser Optimization. Aerospace, 12(5), 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12050366

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