Design and Simulation of a Low-cost Mach 2 Supersonic Wind Tunnel

A crucial part of the process of creating new technologies in the high-speed aerospace field is design validation, which is a costly and iterative process that has a direct impact on the performance of the final design. Currently, this process is performed by the integration of CFD results and ground testing, but due to the high cost of devices such as high-speed wind tunnels, it forms a barrier that limits developing countries, such as Panama, from engaging in this field. This paper presents the preliminary design of a low-cost blowdown supersonic wind tunnel that balances affordability without greatly hindering flow quality or its ability to be used in academic/industrial-grade research. It has a 40.3 cm2 squared test section that can create shock-free Mach 1.98 flow at the entrance of the test section with a maximum runtime of 8.2 seconds. This work can be used as a reference for other universities in the region that are interested in the development of high-speed technologies and expanding our understanding of this type of flow at a reasonable cost.