Heat Exchanger Coils Control Temperature in NASA Icing Tunnel

摘要

A 25-foot-high wall of heat exchanger coils manufactured by Super Radiator Coils will replace the coils in the Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) at NASA's John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. When installed and commissioned, the new coils will enable the IRT to lower the air temperature faster and more efficiently to -40 °F, which will be 15 degrees colder than its current capacity. The IRT has been in continuous operation since 1944, and is one the world's largest and busiest research facilities that simulates atmospheric icing conditions. Its closed-loop tunnel uses a 5,200-horsepower motor and 14-foot prop-fan to recir-culate air at speeds of 50 to 300 knots per hour (31 to 186 miles per hour). Downstream from the bank of coils are misters that inject water into the air stream, which freezes upon contact with the test specimen.