Newly developed direct-connect high-enthalpy supersonic combustion research facility

A new continuous-flow, direct-connect, high-enthalpy, supersonic combustion research facility is described. This test facility provides combustor inle t flow conditions corresponding to flight Mach numbers between 3.5 and 7, a t dynamic pressures up to 95.8 kPa. Most of the major components of the new facility are water cooled (including the vitiated heater, the instrumentat ion and transition sections, and the facility nozzle and isolators); the cu rrent exception is the variable-geometry heat-sink combustor. A variety of conventional and advanced instrumentation, including a steam calorimeter an d a thrust stand, exists for accurate documentation of combustor inlet and exit conditions and performance parameters. In a recent calibration effort, pitot pressure surveys, total temperature surveys, and wall static pressur e distributions were obtained for a wide range of inlet conditions using Ma ch 1.8 and 2.2 facility nozzles. In addition, three-dimensional numerical s imulations of each test case were completed. Results from the computations compare favorably with experimental results for all cases and yield estimat es of the integral boundary-layer properties at the isolator exit.