CRREL Environmental Wind Tunnel: Characteristics and Capabilities
Abstract
Atmospheric, or environmental, wind tunnels are ideal for basic research and applied physical modeling and for supporting the numerical model validation process. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), has had an active presence in the field of research physical modeling. Between the ERDC Environmental Laboratory (EL), the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), and the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL), there is one historical, three operational, and one future planned atmospheric wind tunnel. Each facility was uniquely designed to study different areas of atmospheric phenomena. This report reviews and highlights the characteristics of each facility and their target research applications. In particular, there is a desire to expand the scope of the CRREL Environmental Wind Tunnel (EWT) physical modeling capability. Expanding that capability beyond snowdrift modeling opens the door to geometrically full-scale turbulent-boundary-layer experiments on air-land and potentially air-water interfaces. Sustaining and improving internal wind-tunnel facilities is vital to the ERDC mission, promoting innovation and versatility in atmospheric physical modeling.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1073391
Entities
People
- Alexander R. Stott
- Marina Reilly-collette
- Marissa J. Torres
- Sandra LeGrand
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center