Adaptive Icing Tunnel (AIT)
The Adaptive Icing Tunnel (AIT) is a closed loop, vertical refrigerated icing wind tunnel with a 1 ft by 1 ft test section. The tunnel, which is capable of air speeds up to ~210 knots (~110 m/s) at temperatures as cold as -20 °C, is driven by a fan connected to a 100-hp electric motor. The flow is cooled using a heat-exchanger and an external chiller. A spray bar is located just downstream of the heat-exchanger. The spray bar uses NASA MOD1 nozzles to generate an icing cloud, and is targeting the generation of fully supercooled clouds up to a maximum of ~ 30 µm mean volumetric diameter. The test section is enclosed within a walk-in freezer allowing for in-situ ice sample extraction and testing. Future capabilities are planned to introduce ice crystals into the flow.