MAE Faculty Present a New Design at the 2024 APS DFD Conference

At the 2024 American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics conference in Salt Lake City, Dr. Tomas Rojas Carvajal, a postdoctoral researcher working with Prof. Edward P. DeMauro, revealed the innovative design of the Rutgers Gas and Aerothermodynamics Nozzle-free Device Advanced Laboratory Facility (GANDALF). Set to enter its manufacturing phase, this state-of-the-art hypervelocity Expansion Tube is engineered to generate high-enthalpy Mach 8 flows within an extremely brief 500-microsecond time frame. The facility will provide New Jersey with a unique hypersonic research capability, marking a new era for aerodynamics studies at Rutgers University.

The GANDALF facility will enable researchers to study high-enthalpy, near-equilibrium flows at Mach numbers ranging from 6 to 11, with a target Mach 8, using helium as the driver gas. To ensure safety, minimize operational costs, and reduce the risk of failed runs, the facility features an integrated helium recovery system that will recycle gas from one day’s experiments overnight. Additionally, a diaphragm separating the driven gas and expansion section will be tested before the system is pressurized. In his APS presentation, Dr. Rojas Carvajal outlined the design's challenges, solutions, anticipated performance, and diagnostic capabilities, positioning GANDALF as a groundbreaking tool in hypersonic research.