The AFRL/RZPS Centrifuge Table Test Facility

摘要

The Centrifuge Table Test Facility in the Propulsion Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has a long history of providing critical knowledge of the response of two-phase heat transfer systems to changing accelerations in aerospace applications. This paper will discuss the centrifuge table facility, a review of literature produced using the facility, the importance of two-phase fluid systems subjected to varying accelerations, and the capabilities and limitations of the centrifuge table. The test bed consists of a 2.44 m diameter horizontal rotating table driven by a 20 hp DC electric motor. The test bed can deliver the following to devices mounted to the rotating table: Conditioned DC electrical power through three separate power supplies, 120 VAC power, temperature-controlled ethylene glycol coolant, and electrical signals for analog or digital control. In addition, electrical signals are collected from instruments on the table and stored in a data acquisition computer. The table is capable of radial acceleration up to ar 12 g, with a maximum onset of ar = 10 g/s, inducing a tangential acceleration. The table rotation can be varied manually using a potentiometer, or controlled digitally using a signal generator in the data acquisition and control system. The acceleration field is measured using an orthogonal triaxial accelerometer.