Combustion and Regenerative Cooling Characteristics of LOX/Methane Engine

Kawashima, Hideto; Okita, Koichi; Aoki, Kenji; Azuma, Nobuyuki; Kumakawa, Akinaga; Onodera, Takuo; Yoshida, Seiji; Negishi, Hideyo; Manako, Hiroyasu; Koganezawa, Takashi

doi:10.2322/tstj.7.ta_7

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…In fact, in the divergent region, methane starts to show transcritical conditions, since, as the bottom walls of the channel are approached, the fluid tends to reach the critical temperature. The thermal stratification [61][62][63] is so significant that methane behaves similar to a gas-like fluid near the channel bottom wall and side (this is particularly evident for the throat slice) and similar to a liquid-like fluid near the top surface of the channel. For Point A conditions, large parts of the fluid have already undergone the pseudo-change of phase to vapour (Figure 17b), while, for Point C, the liquid core is very large and noticeable particularly at the x/L = 0.61 section.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal Behaviour of the Cooling Jacket Belonging to a Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Methane Rocket Engine Demonstrator in the Operation Box

et al. 2023

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The cooling jackets of liquid rocket engines are composed of narrow passages surrounding the thrust chambers and ensure the reliable operation of the engine. Critical conditions may also be encountered, since the cooling jackets of cryogenic engines, such as those using LOX/LCH4 propellants, are based on a regenerative strategy, where the fuel is used as a refrigerant. Consequently, deterioration modes near where pseudocritical conditions are reached or low heat transfer coefficients where the fuel becomes a vapour and must therefore be managed. The verification of the cooling jacket behaviour to consolidate the design solutions in all the extreme points of the operating box represents a very important phase. The present paper discusses the full characterization of the HYPROB (HYdrocarbon PROpulsion test Bench Program) first unit of the final demonstrator, (DEMO-0A), by considering the working points within the limits of the operating box and comparisons with the nominal conditions are given. In this way, a full understanding of the cooling system behaviour, affecting the working of the entire thrust chamber, is accomplished. Moreover, the design strategy and choices have been confirmed, since the verifications also include potentially even more extreme conditions with respect to the nominal ones. The investigation has been numerically performed and supported the thermo-structural analyses accomplished before the final firing campaign, completed in December 2022. Since little information is available in the literature on LOX/LCH4 engines, suggestions are given as to the organization of the numerical simulations, which support the design of such rocket engine cooling systems.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal Behaviour of the Cooling Jacket Belonging to a Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Methane Rocket Engine Demonstrator in the Operation Box

et al. 2023

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“…Then, methane is injected into the combustor chamber by means of the injectors (C) [16,23]. Hence, the fluid experiences a sort of "pseudo-change" phase, flowing from the inlet towards the outlet section and changing from a liquid-like condition to a vapor-like one [24]. In other words, thermophysical properties (density, viscosity, specific heat, thermal conductivity, etc.)…”

Section: Transcritical Behavior Of Methane In a Lre Cooling Jacketmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High values of channel roughness seem to suppress the deterioration mode or to mitigate its effects because of heat-transfer exchange increasing. Moreover, the use of artificial roughness may prevent the heat-transfer deterioration: as a result, wall temperature values decrease but pressure losses may significantly increase Hence, the fluid experiences a sort of "pseudo-change" phase, flowing from the inlet towards the outlet section and changing from a liquid-like condition to a vapor-like one [24]. In other words, thermophysical properties (density, viscosity, specific heat, thermal conductivity, etc.)…”

Section: Transcritical Behavior Of Methane In a Lre Cooling Jacketmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcritical Behavior of Methane in the Cooling Jacket of a Liquid-Oxygen/Liquid-Methane Rocket-Engine Demonstrator

2022

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The successful design of a liquid rocket engine is strictly linked to the development of efficient cooling systems, able to dissipate huge thermal loads coming from the combustion in the thrust chamber. Generally, cooling architectures are based on regenerative strategies, adopting fuels as coolants; and on cooling jackets, including several narrow axial channels allocated around the thrust chambers. Moreover, since cryogenic fuels are used, as in the case of oxygen/methane-based liquid rocket engines, the refrigerant is injected in liquid phase at supercritical pressure conditions and heated by the thermal load coming from the combustion chamber, which tends to experience transcritical conditions until behaving as a supercritical vapor before exiting the cooling jacket. The comprehension of fluid behavior inside the cooling jackets of liquid-oxygen/methane rocket engines as a function of different operative conditions represents not only a current topic but a critical issue for the development of future propulsion systems. Hence, the current manuscript discusses the results concerning the cooling jacket equipping the liquid-oxygen/liquid-methane demonstrator, designed and manufactured within the scope of HYPROB-NEW Italian Project. In particular, numerical results considering the nominal operating conditions and the influence of variables, such as the inlet temperature and pressure values of refrigerant as well as mass-flow rate, are shown to discuss the fluid transcritical behavior inside the cooling channels and give indications on the numerical methodologies, supporting the design of liquid-oxygen/liquid-methane rocket-engine cooling systems. Validation has been accomplished by means of experimental results obtained through a specific test article, provided with a cooling channel, characterized by dimensions representative of HYPROB DEMO-0A regenerative combustion chamber.

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“…Moreover, this propellant pair is of interest for exploration missions (Stone et al, 2008;Hulbert et al, 2008;Arione, 2010;Kawashima et al, 2009) and for in-space propulsion systems. The reason of the exploration/in-space interest stays in the fact that all the missions with a reduced requirement of thermal management and propellant losses through evaporation will surely profit from a Ox/CH4 based propulsion system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

O2/CH4 Kinetic Mechanisms for Aerospace Applications at Low Pressure and Temperature, Validity Ranges and Comparison

Minotti¹

2011

Aeronautics and Astronautics

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Combustion and Regenerative Cooling Characteristics of LOX/Methane Engine

Cited by 10 publications

References 1 publication

Thermal Behaviour of the Cooling Jacket Belonging to a Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Methane Rocket Engine Demonstrator in the Operation Box

Thermal Behaviour of the Cooling Jacket Belonging to a Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Methane Rocket Engine Demonstrator in the Operation Box

Transcritical Behavior of Methane in the Cooling Jacket of a Liquid-Oxygen/Liquid-Methane Rocket-Engine Demonstrator

O2/CH4 Kinetic Mechanisms for Aerospace Applications at Low Pressure and Temperature, Validity Ranges and Comparison

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