Implementation of Active Noise Control in a Closed-Circuit Wind Tunnel

Closed return wind tunnels, such as the Klebanoff--Saric Wind Tunnel (KSWT) at Texas A\&M University, can provide relatively low freestream turbulence levels but include noise sources that do not exist in flight. This background noise, such as fan and motor noise, can adversely affect boundary-layer transition experiments if the frequencies are in the range of unstable Tollmien-- Schlicting waves. Passive acoustic treatments eliminate most noise propagating downstream from the fan to test section in the KSWT, but measurements showed upstream-traveling tonal noise propagating from the fan into the test section. To eliminate this, an active noise control system utilizing an adaptive filter algorithm was implemented targeting frequencies in the TS band below the planar duct mode cut off. Multiple microphones are used to detect and cancel upstream traveling sound without affecting downstream traveling sound. Microphone measurements are used to document the noise reduction at multiple locations in the test section.