How to make better wind tunnels?

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mzivtins
9
Joined: 29 Feb 2012, 12:41

How to make better wind tunnels?

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Hi Guys,

Everyone always says how wind tunnels take a LOT of energey to run!

What if the wind tunnel was sort of toroidal in shape? the air you push forward would come back around at you with still some energy. Would this makes things much me efficient in terms of energy?

I see the main flaw being moving the air round a bend would cause all sorts of nonsense and dodgey flow.

Feasible?

edit*
See this diagram of what look to be your standard tunnel... would making this more toroidal in shape give better efficiency?
Image

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Websta
0
Joined: 05 Feb 2012, 15:18

Re: How to make better wind tunnels?

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You would end up having to build a larger tunnel, costing more money in terms of space, materials, etc, and there would also be a lot more air to energise, which would offset any efficiency you would gain from the reduced drag. I'm not an expert though

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Tim.Wright
330
Joined: 13 Feb 2009, 06:29

Re: How to make better wind tunnels?

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Keeping approx 1700 cubic meters of air flowing at 200kph and also conditioning it to be the right temperature and direction is going to take a lot of energy.

If you want to save energy, flips things around. Instead of moving air over the car, move the car though the air;

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/arti ... urel-hill/

Tim
Not the engineer at Force India

marcush.
159
Joined: 09 Mar 2004, 16:55

Re: How to make better wind tunnels?

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do you need a full tunnel? a fence on both sides could do the trick?

put the thing on a sled to not waste any space to accelerate the thing and stop it and you are there

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