Facilities

LTC facilities span across the following five laboratory areas occupying roughly half of the research space on the second floor of the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Building, a state-of-the-art facility that houses the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Michigan. In addition to these laboratory areas for experimental research, LTC also uses the Keck CFD laboratory in the FXB Building as well as extensive MEMS fabrication and other microfabrication facilities available in the College of Engineering at Michigan.

Turbulence and Combustion Laboratory I (2236A FXB)

Contains the Michigan Supersonic Combustion Tunnel, a unique facility currently used for fundamental research on flow, mixing, and combustion under supersonic conditions for hypersonic propulsion and pulsed detonation engine ( PDE ) applications. Permits up to Mach 3 conditions with a 250 kW electrical heater capable of providing a 1.0 kg/seg non-vitiated air flow at temperatures up to 1100 K, a 55 cm long test section, extensive flow metering and diagnostic equipment, and access to four pulsed Nd:YAG lasers and two dye lasers as well as imaging systems for planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF), planar laser Mie scattering (PLMS), and stereo PIV measurements of flow, mixing and combustion processes in supersonic turbulent shear flows.

Turbulence and Combustion Laboratory II (2236B FXB)

This is a research laboratory for fundamental studies of turbulent reacting flows using advanced laser diagnostics, including a unique dual-plane stereo PIV (DSPIV) system that provides the only experimental access to fully-resolved nine-component velocity gradient measurements in turbulent flows. The laboratory is designed to permit studies of both nonreacting and reacting turbulent shear flows. Contains four pulsed Nd:YAG lasers, two dye lasers, dual stereo PIV systems, and extensive flow metering and optical equipment for laser diagnostics in turbulent flows and reacting flows.

Turbulent Shear Flows Laboratory I (2250 FXB)

A large research laboratory for fundamental studies of nonreacting and reacting turbulent flows. Includes a large custom optical table and flow facility for DSPIV and PLIF measurements in turbulent shear flows, a large gravity-driven low-turbulence water tunnel studies in coflowing turbulent shear flows, a large facility for laser measurements in noncoflowing turbulent jets, as well as numerous smaller facilities for more specialized studies. Contains four Nd:YAG lasers, equipment for planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging using aqueous fluorescent dyes, extensive flow metering and data acquisition equipment, and related peripheral equipment for studies of turbulent flows and turbulent mixing.

Turbulent Shear Flows Laboratory II (2236E FXB)

Additional research laboratory supporting activities in micro-scale and meso-scale systems for flow and combustion applications, and activities in laser measurements of turbulent flow, mixing, and combustion processes. Contains extensive computer equipment and associated peripheral equipment and specialized software for design and analyses of micro- and meso-scale components and systems, and analyses of large databases from laser imaging diagnostics of turbulent flows.

Microsystems Laboratory (2236D FXB)

Research laboratory for micro-scale and meso-scale systems for flow and combustion applications, including microactuators for drag reduction, microcombustors and microvaporizers for compact lightweight fuel processors for automotive fuel cells, and complete micro internal combustion engine systems for portable power generation. Includes micro flow metering and gas-handling equipment as well as diagnostic and data acquisition equipment. Also makes use of extensive MEMS fabrication and other microfabrication facilities available in the College of Engineering at Michigan.