Multi-Nozzle Base Flow Model in the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel

Researchers check the setup of a multi-nozzle base flow model in the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. NASA researchers were struggling to understand the complex flow phenomena resulting from the use of multiple rocket engines. Robert Wasko and Theodore Cover of the Advanced Development and Evaluation Division’s analysis and operations sections conducted a set of tests in the 10- by 10 tunnel to further understand the flow issues. The Lewis researchers studied four and five-nozzle configurations in the 10- by 10 at simulated altitudes from 60,000 to 200,000 feet. The nozzles were gimbaled during some of the test runs to simulate steering. The flow field for the four-nozzle clusters was surveyed in the center and the lateral areas between the nozzles, whereas the five-nozzle cluster was surveyed in the lateral area only.