Abstract:
The Alcântara Space Center (ASC) region has a peculiar topography due to the existence of a Coastal cliff, which modifies the atmospheric boundary layer characteristic in a way that can affect rocket launching operations. Wind tunnel measurements can be an important tool for the understanding of turbulence and wind flow pattern characteristics in the ASC neighborhood, along with computational fluid dynamics and observational data. The purpose of this paper is to describe wind tunnel experiments that have been carried out by researchers from the Brazilian Institutions IAE, ITA and INPE. The technologies of Hot-Wire Anemometer and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) have been used in these measurements, in order to obtain information about wind flow patterns as velocity fields and vorticity. The wind tunnel measurements are described and the results obtained arepresented.
Key words:
Alcântara Space Center (ASC); Particle image velocimetry; Turbulence; Windflow; Wind tunnel