For Release: Dec. 16, 1997
Michael Finneran
(757) 864-6121
RELEASE NO. 97-133
News Media Invited To Dec. 18 Event
LARGEST WIND TUNNEL MOTOR OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD GOES ON
LINE
NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., will hold a
ceremony Thursday, Dec. 18, at 11:30 a.m., to mark the installation
of the world's largest adjustable-speed drive system in a wind
tunnel.
The new fan drive motor in the National Transonic Facility (NTF)
develops 135,000 horsepower, turning fan blades to produce wind
speeds up to 1.2 times the speed of sound (approximately 900 mph).
The new motor is part of the $23 million drive system built by Asea
Brown Boveri in Switzerland, and installed by Raytheon
Constructors, Inc.
It replaces an aging system that included three smaller motors,
two gearboxes and other equipment. The previous system could
provide 130,000 horsepower to the wind tunnel, but only for about
10 minutes, at one speed. The new motor develops the higher
horsepower continuously through a speed range of 360 to 600
rpm.
The new system is expected to improve the productivity of the
wind tunnel by increasing the tunnel's operating envelope, reducing
the time to reach a test point, and simplifying the drive system
complexity.
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