Wind tunnel cost 1

[badoumba]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone can give me an idea of the prices of a wind tunnel session for testing a car aerodynamics? I guess there might be a range of prices depending on the wind tunnel size and capabilities.
Thanks!

 

[GregLocock]

About $500 per hour for a full size tunnel suitable for a car

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[tbuelna]

I'm assuming you intend to test at full scale. As noted, the hourly cost for wind tunnel time will vary greatly depending on the capabilities of the facility (data acquisition systems, rolling road or turntable, control of tunnel test conditions, etc.).

The electrical power to run the fan in a full scale automotive tunnel is probably the largest part of operating costs, especially if high airspeed is required. The Windshear full scale tunnel's fan system consumes 7MW at max airspeed (180 mph).

Wind tunnel facilities usually require setup work and operation of the tunnel to be performed by their personnel, which means paying $80-$100/hr for 2 or 3 technicians.

Most wind tunnel facilities also require you to submit a test plan including engineering documentation showing your test article and setup are safe to use at the conditions proposed. You pay for any tunnel damage caused by a failure of your test article.

Also remember that you don't just roll your vehicle into the tunnel and start testing. It can take quite a bit of time to get the test article installed/adjusted/inspected, all necessary instrumentation installed/calibrated, and verifying the data acquisition system is working properly. You pay for all the time you occupy the tunnel, whether you are testing and producing useful data, or just chasing problems with your instrumentation.

Here's a couple full scale automotive wind tunnel facilities you can contact:

http://www.windshearinc.com/services/services.htm#Services

http://www.aerodynwindtunnel.com/

http://www.a2wt.com/RaceCars.html

http://www.modine.com/web/en/testing-services.htm#.WUr6pVGQyHs

 

[badoumba]

Thank you guys, @tbuelna thanks for your details.
Prices are on these website actually along with all the practical details.