Water Vapor Condensation Process in Supersonic Nozzles

Abstract

The history of experimental and theoretical investigations of water vapor condensation phenomena in supersonic nozzles is reviewed. It is then shown empirically for a given experiment that the shocklike disturbance visible in flow pictures delineates the collapse of the supercooled state of the water vapor present in the air. All flow properties are calculated through this extended condensation zone from pressure distribution measurements, and it is seen that no shock waves are involved in the process. Finally a conversion of these data to an equivalent constant‐area flow reveals that the latter would be an example of a weak detonation observed in nature as predicted by Burgers and by Reed.