Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit
| Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit | |
|---|---|
 FaCET Test in the APTU | |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | US Air Force |
| Role | Test Facility |
| Nickname | APTU |
AEDC Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit (APTU) is a blowdown hypersonic wind tunnel driven by a combustion air heater (CAH).[1] The facility is owned by the United States Air Force and operated by Aerospace Testing Alliance.
History
[edit | edit source]The AEDC Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit started out as a vitiated air heater (VAH) conducting over 275 experiments for the development of many different aerodynamic and aerothermal systems. Upgrades to the facility started in 2002 in order to provide ground-test capability for supersonic and hypersonic systems up to flight speeds of Mach 8.[citation needed]
Capabilities
[edit | edit source]The facility was designed to provide ground-based simulations of supersonic and hypersonic flight conditions. The combustion air heater can provide total pressures from 200 psia to 2,800 psia (13.6 atm to 190.5 atm) and a total temperatures from 1,200°R to 4,700°R (667 K to 2,611 K). Five nozzles ranging from Mach 3.2 to Mach 7.1 are currently available.[2]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]External links
[edit | edit source]- Arnold Engineering Development Center (official)