Flow visualization Wind Tunnel
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Mecánica Mechanical Engineering

Civil Civil Engineering

UCR University of Costa Rica

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Wind tunnel
This wind tunnel was designed and built by a group of professors and students at the Faculty of Engineeering, using donated materials. The two-year process, concluded in July 2005, has been described in the dissertation "Design and construction of the flow visualization wind tunnel at the Faculty of Engineering" (Diseño y construcción del túnel de viento para visualización de flujo de la Facultad de Ingeniería ) by Roberto Rivera-Monge.









The Costa Rican division for EATON Electrical donated the variable frequency drive to regulate airflow through fan speed. This is one of the most expensive components of the wind tunnel.
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VX1000 variable frequency drive




















The Costa Rican site of Intel Corporation donated two 7.5 hp electrical motors and the fan. The national duct manufacturer Condumet built the duct sections, and JOHNCER (a small automobile body repair shop) was in charge of the paint job and finishing.
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Centrifugal-axial fan inlet


The School of Civil Engineering, that presently is housing the tunnel, financed the material for the structure, paint and solvents. The builders are very grateful to the Shop of the School of Mechanical Engineering, that helped by lending tools and with its active involvement in the construction activities.

The process was directed by Juan Gabriel Monge-Gapper (concept and design) and Roberto Rivera-Monge (construction and documentation), and Reynaldo Castillo (construction) who also sought out donations. The builders also acknowledge helpful support from the following Faculty staff:
w Alberto Serrano-Pacheco, Hydraulics Lab Head
w Rafael Oreamuno, former director of the School of Civil Engineering
w Antonio Sánchez, Hydraulics Department Chair
w Roberto Fernández Morales, Director of the School of Civil Engineering
w Jorge Esquivel and Eduardo Rojas, School of Mechanical Engineering Shop Technicians
w Hennia Cavallini-Solano, Director of the School of Mechanical Engineering


The builders hope that this experience will stimulate the autonomous development of laboratory equipment and independent technological innovation in general.
 












©2006