The method of temperature-sensitive paint (TSP) adapted to industry-scale, cryogenic wind tunnels (i.e. cryoTSP) is used to detect the natural, laminar-to-turbulent transition of the boundary layer in high speed flows. Because of the small boundary layer thickness given in cryogenic testing at high Reynolds numbers, the influence of roughness of a TSP layer on the natural boundary-layer transition is analyzed for Tollmien-Schlichting and for crossflow instability. Using a special technique when spraying the paint, it is possible to operate pressure tappings on a model in parallel to transition detection by cryoTSP. Since the pressure orifices have to penetrate the paint layer, their shape and curvature are changed by the painting and polishing, which may lead to a deviation in the measured Cp distributions compared to the model without TSP. Furthermore, the thickness of the cryoTSP on the model can influence the pressure distribution and drag coefficient. The effect of the TSP paint layer on pressure tappings and drag measurement of a laminar type airfoil is experimentally investigated for Reynolds numbers of 6 Mio and 15 Mio and for Mach numbers of M = 0.30 and 0.62 in the Ludwieg-tube cryogenic wind tunnel DNW-KRG.
I INTRODUCTIONTo highlight the laminar-turbulent transition on a model surface by use of thermographic methods, a sufficiently large temperature difference between laminar and turbulent part of the boundary layer has to be created. This can be done, besides other methods, by changing the temperature of the flow during testing: due to the larger convective heat transfer coefficient, the temperature change in the oncoming flow is transferred faster to the surface in the turbulent part of the boundary layer. For example, a (moderate) heating of the flow causes a warmer turbulent boundary layer for a certain amount of time. Cooling of the flow on the other hand leads to increased heat transport from the model surface to the flow in the turbulent region, making it cooler than the laminar part during application of the temperature change [1].This well known "method of temperature steps" [2] can easily be performed in a continuously driven cryogenic wind tunnel by increased injection of nitrogen (negative step, flow becomes cooler) or by stopping nitrogen injection completely (positive step, flow becomes warmer by heat input of the wind tunnel compressor). In a blow down type, cryogenic wind tunnel the negative step is established automatically during testing, since a high pressure storage volume of nitrogen is expanded quickly after opening the valve for the (short duration) test run. Thus, flow temperature drops immediately and the model is cooled by the flow during testing. Hence, a thermographic method is applicable for transition detection.A. Method ofcryogenic temperature-sensitive paint Since commercially available infrared (IR) cameras lose their sensitivity for temperatures T < 200 K, the technique of cryogenic temperature-sensitive paint (cryoTSP) has been established in recent years as a reliable...