Oxford Thermofluids Institute | Facilities - Oxford Laser Heating Facility (OLAHF)

Oxford Laser Heating Facility (OLAHF)

The assessment of the performance and life of components is a key step towards deploying new technologies in the aerospace and fusion sectors. Experimental testing at representative thermal conditions is particularly important when investigating novel materials and cooling geometries that have yet to be fully characterized. This new high-power laser facility has been developed specifically for this: to test coupons and components destined for extreme environments.

Experimental testing at representative thermal conditions

The Oxford Laser Heating Facility (OLAHF) is capable of providing a maximum power of 24 kW over an area of 200 mm by 104 mm at a base intensity of 1.15 MW/m2. This is achieved through a combination of high power VCSEL laser modules. These laser modules are integrated via a bespoke control system with various thermal and visual instrumentation systems as well as supporting cooling air, water, and supercritical CO2 systems. Facility activities are supported by validated numerical models of the laser system, enabling high fidelity computational representation of experimental setups.

The Oxford Laser Heating Facility (OLAHF) is capable of providing a maximum power of 24 kW over an area of 200 mm by 104 mm at a base intensity of 1.15 MW/m2

Compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) have been designed to further increase applied laser power over smaller testing surfaces, pushing applied heat fluxes up to and beyond 32 MW/m2.

Real world testing

The facility has been thus far been used in:

a Programme Grant (Transpiration Cooling Systems for Jet Engine Turbines and Hypersonic Flight) to test new cooling designs for aerospace companies.
a UK Government Grant (Advanced Modular Reactor Phase II) to test novel cooling geometries for use in a fusion reactor.
an InnovateUK/ATI Grant (CEMTEC) to test novel materials in large civil aeroengines.