Supercooling in hypersonic nitrogen wind tunnels

Abstract

Recent experimental observation of supercooling in large hypersonic wind tunnels using pure nitrogen identified a broad range of non-equilibrium metastable vapour states of the flow in the test cell. To investigate this phenomenon a number of real-gas effects are analysed and compared with predictions made using the ideal-gas equation of state and equilibrium thermodynamics. The observed limit on the extent of supercooling is found to be at 60% of the temperature difference from the sublimation line to Gibbs’ absolute limit on phase stability. The mass fraction then condensing is calculated to be 12–14%. Included in the study are virial effects, quantization of rotational and vibrational energy, and the possible role of vibrational relaxation and freezing in supercooling. Results suggest that use of the supercooled region to enlarge the Mach–Reynolds number test envelope may be practical. Data from model tests in supercooled flows support this possibility.