Process for testing a compressor or a combustor of a gas turbine engine using a large compressed air storage reservoir
View Patent ↗A process for testing a combustor or a compressor of a gas turbine engine, where a large volume of compressed air is stored in a large reservoir of at least 10,000 m3 such as an underground storage cavern, compressed air from the storage reservoir is passed through an air turbine to drive a compressor to produce high pressure and temperature compressed air, and where the compressed air can be discharged into a combustor and burned with a fuel for testing of the combustor under simulated conditions of a real gas turbine engine.
1. A process for testing an aerospace vehicle or component under low atmospheric conditions comprising the steps of:
filling a first underground storage reservoir with compressed air;
forming a vacuum in a second underground storage reservoir;
securing an aerospace vehicle or component to be tested within a wind tunnel;
passing compressed air from the first underground storage reservoir into the wind tunnel for testing; and,
applying a vacuum from the second underground storage reservoir to a downstream side of the wind tunnel.
2. The process for testing an aerospace vehicle or component of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
the aerospace vehicle is a full size aircraft vehicle.
3. The process for testing an aerospace vehicle or component of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
the aerospace component is a rocket engine.