Our research facilities are located in the ASR building at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus at The University of Texas at Austin. The ASR building includes approximately 5000 sq ft and has been operated as a hypersonic wind tunnel lab since the 1950s. Currently, the lab operates multiple supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels, an inductively-coupled plasma torch, and multiple combustion facilities. If you’d like to visit, this link will take you to the GPS coordinates for the lab. You can find more information on our experimental facilities below.

Go here to find an archive of historical photos of the High-Speed Wind Tunnel Lab.

High-temperature hypersonic environments are simulated using a 50 kW inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) torch. The ICP torch is the key component of a high-temperature materials testing facility that was developed in collaboration with Prof. Philip Varghese. The ICP Torch, model APT-50, which includes the DC power supply, RF generator and torch head, was designed and built by Applied Plasma Technologies, Corp.  The torch heats air to approximately 6000 to 7000 K with heat fluxes up to about 350 W/cm^2 when fitted with a converging nozzle. The torch operates continuously and exhausts to atmospheric conditions. Typical measurements that are made include surface temperature, material mass loss and shape change, optical and SEM microscopy, emission spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence of ablation products and Raman scattering to characterize the exit plume. [Read more…]

The high-speed wind tunnel facility can be operated at either Mach 2 or 5 — the Mach number is determined based on the nozzle block that is used. The tunnel is of the blowdown type and operates for run times of 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the conditions. The test section at Mach 5 is 6″ wide by 7″ high, whereas at Mach 2 it is 6″ high by 6″ wide. Windows in all four walls provide optical access for laser diagnostics and schlieren. High-pressure air is provided using a Worthington air compressor and 180 ft^3 tank farm with working pressure of 2000 psi. [Read more…]

The Direct-Connect Scramjet Isolator is used to study shock-dominated flows inside supersonic dual-mode scramjet isolators, similar to those being developed by the US Air Force. Our current focus is on developing controls algorithms that will help keep the isolator from unstarting when encountering perturbations to the downstream pressure. [Read more…]

The Mach 3 wind tunnel facility is a smaller-scale, low-Reynolds number tunnel with a 2 inch by 2 inch test section. The tunnel operates on air or nitrogen and is driven by a pressure-vacuum system with run times of about 1 minute. The facility is manufactured largely of acrylic as it has been used extensively for plasma actuator development. [Read more…]

This facility operates up to 10 atm to test the effects of elevated pressure on combustion systems. Our current use is to investigate flame flashback in swirl flames and equivalence-ratio stratification. The facility is approximately 8 inches in diameter and constructed from stainless steel for strength and to avoid corrosion. [Read more…]

The supersonic reacting jet was designed to study the effects of vibrational energy exchange in supersonic mixing and combustion. The jet is Mach 1.5 and issues into a slow co-flow of heated air. The jet is non-reacting when operated with nitrogen or air, and it combusts when operated with hydrogen fuel in the jet stream. [Read more…]

This facility is used to study the characteristics of turbulent jet flames. The jet issues from a straight tube and issues into a slow co-flow of air. This facility has been used to study the fine-scale structure of turbulence, 3D measurements of turbulent jet flames, and soot production in flames burning alternative jet fuels. [Read more…]

Here, you can find historical photos of the J.J. Pickle Research Campus and the High-Speed Wind Tunnel Lab. The lab has operated continuously since the 1050s. [Read more…]