An approach for designing a high-enthalpy wind tunnel driven by
exothermic chemical reactions was developed. Nozzle contours were
designed using CONTUR, a program implementing the method of
characteristics, to design nozzle contours at various flow conditions. A
reacting mixture including nitrous oxide has been identified as the
best candidate for providing clean air at high temperatures. The nitrous
oxide has a few performance factors that were considered, specifically
the combustion of the gas. Initial CFD simulations were performed on the
nozzle and test region to validate flow characteristics and possible
issues. Initial results show a fairly uniform exit velocity and ability
to perform testing. In a second phase of the work, two generic,
high-speed missile configurations were explored using numerical
simulation. The mean flow was computed on both geometries at 0 and 45
roll and 0, 1, and 10 angle of attack. The computations identified
complex flow structures, including three-dimensional
shock/boundary-layer interactions, that varied considerably with angle
of attack.