COnsortium
INCAS
National Institute for Aerospace Research Elie Carafoli
Cira
Project Participant
Eu contribution € 230 328,75
Key personnel
Dumitru Pepelea
Eng. Dumitru Pepelea, research engineer at INCAS since 2014. Head of CFD Lab, in the Flow Physics Dept.
Besides the numerical work, activities include the management of experimental work in the Wind Tunnel Testing. In
the recent years, the activities in the CFD lab are related to high fidelity simulations, data generation and post-processing
for space vehicles, launchers and space debris aerodynamic study (heat loads, dynamic behaviour assessment), WTT
data correction and aerodatabase development. He was involved in research projects as Demise Observation Capsule (DOC), Future Sky Safety (FSS), Space Rider (A/B1, B2/C), Small Innovative Launcher for Europe (SMILE), ESA-
VECEP.
Contact Dumitru at [email protected]
Mihai Victor Pricop
Dr. Mihai Victor Pricop, Head of Flow Physics Department, 18 years at INCAS. Low Speed aerodynamics:
Subsonic Wind Tunnel model requirements, design, instrumentation, integration, experiments, data post-processing,
experimental AFC (flap gap oscillatory blowing). High Speed aerodynamics: Buffet investigation, experimentation of
canonical and industrial configurations: blunt/lifting bodies, oblique shock wave ramp, glide back launcher booster,
Synthetic Jet Actuator design, and large-scale wind tunnel management of model manufacturing. JE projects: JTI Clean
Sky, AVERT, CESAR; ESA projects: STFA, D4D ATD, Space Rider, Phase 0/A Micro launcher, DOC. He is author
and co-author of about 80 papers.
Contact Mihai at [email protected]
Alexandra Stăvărescu
Eng. Alexandra Stăvărescu graduated at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering UPB Bucharest in 2017 and has
been research engineer at INCAS since 2017 in the Flow Physics Department. Her field of interest includes both low
speed and high-speed aerodynamics. Her experience is linked to aerodynamic numerical analysis for small launcher,
thermal analysis for the fairing of a small launcher, CFD support for wind tunnel data correction. She has contributed
to projects such as SMILE, D4D-ATS, Space Rider B2/C. She is co-author of research papers related to aerodynamics
of space vehicle.
Contact Alexandra at [email protected]
Adrian Dobre
Eng. Adrian Dobre, Head of Model Design Unit. He has over 35 years experience at INCAS in designing and
manufacturing of more than 20 Subsonic Wind Tunnel models and about 45 Trisonic Wind Tunnel models for the research programs both at national and international level. Other activities include the design for hot air balloons, AX 6
and AX 8 class, various experimental installations for propeller models, mobile hydraulic generator, etc. He had major
contributions to projects JE projects, JTI Clean Sky, AVERT, CESAR, UFAST, and ESA projects, D4D ATD, Space
Rider, Smile, VECEP, ATLLAS II, EUCLID. He has published 12 technical notes/papers.
Contact Adrian at [email protected]
Mihăiță-Gilbert Stoican
Eng. Mihăiță-Gilbert Stoican, research engineer at INCAS since 2014. Main field of interest is in experimental
aerodynamics, analysis and data processing for aerodatabase generation, wind tunnel model design & strength analysis.
Also has contributions related to numerical analysis for hypersonic and supersonic regimes. Activity in projects: STFA,
DOC, USACDF, VEGA C, Space Rider B2/C, SMILE, CARESS. He is author and co-author of 25 research papers
related to aerodynamics of space vehicle.
Contact Mihăiță-Gilbert at [email protected]
Publications
NMAS 2018 Conference
M.G. Cojocaru, M.L. Niculescu, C. Nae, M.V. Pricop, D. Pepelea, M. G. Stoican.
AIP Conference Proceedings 2046 (2019)
M. G. Stoican, Gabriel Marius Cojocaru, D. PEPELEA, C.I. STOICA, M. V. Pricop.
AIP Conference Proceedings 2116, 360011 (2019)
M. V. Pricop, M. G. Stoican, C.I. Stoica, M. Manea, M. L. Niculescu.
AIP Conference Proceedings 1863, 420005 (2017)
M. V. Pricop, M. G. Cojocaru, C.I. Stoica, M. L. Niculescu, A. M. Neculaescu, A. G. Persinaru, M. Boscoianu,
Infrastructures
INCAS Supersonic Wind Tunnel
INCAS Supersonic Wind Tunnel is the most advanced facility existing on our experimental platform. It is in operation since 1977 and during its 44 years of activity more than 160 projects have been developed by testing different models.
The projects topics included transonic and supersonic aircraft (transport and military), missiles, rockets, bombs and lately space vehicles/launchers or components (engines, nozzles).
The 1.2m x 1.2m wind tunnel is of the blowdown type with a speed range from low subsonic (M=0.1) to a maximum supersonic Mach number of 3.5.
Supersonic wind tunnel specification:
• blowdown type
• 1.2m x 1.2m test sections (3D)
• Mach number range: 0.1 … 3.5
• Reynolds number up to 100 millions/m
• Max test run duration: 90 sec..
• Max pressure: 16 bar (settling chamber)
• Interchangeable porous transonic test section
• Variable porosity from 0.01% up to 9%
Equipment:
• Internal strain-gauge balance
• Pressure measurements instruments (steady/unsteady)
• 800 mm Schlieren system
• National Instrument acquisition system
