An experimental study on the efficiency of transpiration cooling in laminar and turbulent hypersonic flows

Abstract

An experimental study on the efficiency of transpiration cooling in hypersonic laminar and turbulent flow regimes is carried out in the Hypersonic Windtunnel Cologne with a focus on the aerothermal problems downstream of the cooled model part. The model is made of a material of low thermal conductivity (PEEK) with an integrated probe of a porous material. The experimental setup allows the direct comparison of the thermal behavior of transpiration cooling to a well-defined and radiatively cooled reference surface. Experiments are performed at Mach number of 6 and two different Reynolds numbers. Air, argon and helium are used as coolants at various flow rates, in order to identify the influence of coolant medium on cooling efficiency. The cooling efficiency of air and argon is comparable. Helium provides significantly higher cooling efficiency at the same blowing ratio, i.e. same coolant mass flow rate. The experimental data shows that the efficiency of the transpiration cooling in turbulent flows is much lower than in laminar flow. © 2010 The Author(s).