Simulation of control of pressure regulating valve in high speed wind tunnels PID control in LabVIEW

Abstract

Wind tunnels used for testing purposes help in analysing the forces, pressure fields and the flow patterns of air around a test specimen. This helps improving the specimen body so as to optimize the performance in the actual working model. The tests conducted are at high as well as low velocity to simulate the natural working environment when the body is in motion in the fluid. This involves maintaining the test section at the required pressure so that the air reaches the necessary speeds to match desired testing conditions. A pressure regulating valve incorporated in a wind tunnel is used to control the pressure variations in a settling chamber and thereby in the test section. A LabVIEW program is developed to simulate the working of a pressure regulating valve. The controller is based on PID algorithm to enhance the working of the valve.