A numerical approach for assessing slotted wall interference using the CRM model at ETW

This paper is devoted to the assessment of wall interference in the slotted wall test section of the European Transonic Windtunnel (ETW) over a wide range of Reynolds numbers. The experimental part of the investigation was performed in February 2014 by testing the NASA Common Research Model mounted on a fin-sting support. These tests were carried out within the scope of the ESWIRP project funded by the European Commission in the 7th framework program. The numerical research was based on the Electronic WindTunnel (EWT-TsAGI) software with a cryogenic solver. The assessed Mach number influence on the wall signatures revealed a very similar effect to applying the classical Prandtl–Glauert rule over the investigated Mach number range. Practically, no Reynolds number effects on the wall pressure distributions generated by the model and its support system could be identified over the wide range of Re numbers investigated. The first attempt of the EWT-TsAGI code application for a simulation of ETW tests featuring the model in the slotted wall tunnel showed a fair coincidence of the pressure coefficient distribution on test section walls in the model region, on the wing-root sections and the drag polar at moderate lift coefficient values.