Application of the pressure sensitive paint method for transonic flow measurements

Traditional measurements of the pressure distribution are conducted with use of pressure taps. Those pressure taps require model surface to be drilled through. In case of such intrusive pressure measurements the instrumentation and model mounting become a problem, especially in case of rotating compressor or turbine blades. The new optical method based on pressure (oxygen concentration) sensitive paints allow to obtain a continuous pressure distribution on the model surface in essentially non-intrusive way. The PSP technology helps understanding of the flow around the model and provides quantitative flow data for further processing. PSP method treated in this paper proved to be a very good solution for complex flows. The scope of this paper is to present the basics of the PSP method. It covers only the basic equations, general idea of the method, typical system set up and some of the approaches to PSP paint application. Typical PSP system is explained as well as the formulation of the PSP paint. The physical phenomena of the excitation, emission and oxygen quenching is explained. Deployment of the system at IFFM PAS is in the final stage, and preliminary calibration results are available. At the end of this paper the IFFM PAS plans for future, current PSP development challenges, actions to be taken, and some of the expected results are discussed.