University of Texas at Austin Blowdown Wind Tunnel and Quad-Sonic Wind Tunnel

Facilities include a Mach 2 and 5 blowdown wind tunnel, Mach 3 low-Reynolds number tunnel, Mach 1.8 direct-connect scramjet isolator, 50 kW inductively-coupled plasma torch, laser diagnostics and sensors laboratory, high-pressure combustor and a plasma engineering laboratory.

The QSWT is a blow down tunnel comprising four interchangeable converging-diverging nozzles that produce Mach numbers of 2, 3, 4 and 5 through a 4-inch x 6-inch (H x W) test section. A rendering of the QSWT concept is shown in Figure 1a alongside a digital image after fabrication and installation.