OPEN at the QinetiQ 5m Wind Tunnel

Upgrading the QinetiQ 5m Wind Tunnel to increase occupancy levels, improve test productivity and introduce essential new capabilities.

Conducted between April 2019 and September 2022, the OPEN project was primarily an infrastructure project aimed at upgrading and introducing new test techniques at the QinetiQ 5m Wind Tunnel (5mWT). The QinetiQ 5mWT is unique in the UK and is used primarily for the development, optimisation and measurement of the aerodynamic forces of commercial transport aircraft with high-lift systems.

The OPEN project has extended the wind tunnel’s life, improved its productivity, enhanced the measurement capability available and enabled a collaboration with NASA.

Before this project, an ageing fan drive control system was becoming more difficult to maintain affecting productivity due equipment failures. The system was replaced with a modern system in September 2020 working with the system provider to define the architecture and install it. The new fan drive control system is a modern, easily maintainable system that provided an immediate return-on–investment by reducing the incidence of fan trips, improving the 5mWT productivity. It has also resulted in an increased operational life for the facility.

During the project, two new test techniques for the 5mWT were identified:

• the acquisition of a model deformation measurement (MDM) system
• a de-risking test to demonstrate the viability of using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique in a large, pressurised wind tunnel.

The project output has ensured the 5mWT at QinetiQ continues to provide a world-class, UK-based capability for conducting high-lift aerodynamics simulations. The project also contributed to the global High-Lift Common Research Model (CRM-HL) initiative which instigated closer ties between QinetiQ, Boeing and the wider aerospace community, both within the UK and globally. It has also helped to foster closer ties between industry and academia, particularly within the UK National Wind Tunnel Facility (NWTF).

OPEN has improved the competitiveness of the wind tunnel, providing better value-for-money for customers testing. There is also a positive environmental impact due to the reduced power consumed during a test campaign.