The Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel in the Hele-Shaw laboratory of the Engineering Faculty is a National Wind Tunnel Facility. This facility enables a range of academic and industrial research activities, with applications ranging from fundamental and applied aerodynamics, aeroacoustics to environmental flow, air pollution, and wind engineering. Being “multi-purpose in its applications”,“modular in its construction” and “versatile in its operations” are at the heart of its design capabilities. The 30-meter long wind tunnel is powered by 9 axial fans with a total power of 240kW. The multi-fan configuration allows either partial or full operating modes to achieve a steady flow velocity from 0.5m/s to 35m/s with very low turbulence intensity. The test section, measuring 2m (width) by 1m (height) and approximately 18m long, is one of the largest among UK universities, and can produce a naturally developed boundary layer of more than 25cm thick (Reτ≈ 104).   

Some of the unique features include boundary layer suction control, variable pressure gradient tilting ceilings and hydrocarbon gas tracer release system. Its wide range of measurement capability includes large (100+ channel) beamforming array, time-resolved PIV, static and dynamic pressure sensors, drag plate, infrared thermal imaging, high-speed schlieren, gas chromatography mass spectrometry and flame ionisation detector hydrocarbon measurement systems.