Effect of Inlet and Outlet Manifolds on Regenerative Cooling in LOX/Methane Thrust Chambers

Zhang, Meng; Sun, Bing; Song, Jeonghoon

doi:10.1007/s11630-020-1312-4

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…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 [35]. Other authors have also pointed out the effects of different configurations of inlet/outlet manifolds on the behavior of the cooling jacket [36].…”

Section: Transcritical Behavior Of Methane In a Lre Cooling Jacketmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Energies 2022, 15, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 29 [35]. Other authors have also pointed out the effects of different configurations of inlet/outlet manifolds on the behavior of the cooling jacket [36]. It is worth highlighting that the application of the classical semiempirical correlations, adopted to calculate the evaluation of heat-transfer coefficients, does not produce reliable results in the deteriorated mode, and in addition, high values of relative roughness also represent a challenging condition from the numerical-modeling point of view.…”

Section: Transcritical Behavior Of Methane In a Lre Cooling Jacketmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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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Section: Transcritical Behavior Of Methane In a Lre Cooling Jacketmentioning

confidence: 99%

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 investigation on LRE sub-components and sub-systems, such as injectors, injector heads, and cooling jackets, in particular, still represents a very important activity in the development of engines in the near future and is conducted by means of a strict link between experimental and numerical methods [11]. The detailed analyses of the physics involved are aimed at setting up more reliable design tools and numerical methods, as well as developing new approaches [12,13]. However, a significant volume of data on phenomena, e.g., combustion processes, heat transfer, heat release to the combustion walls, instability, etc., must be collected according to the desired injection conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

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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“…The LOX/LCH4 rocket engine has been recognized as the ideal power choice for future space vehicles due to the merits of low cost, non-toxic and pollution-free, convenient maintenance, suitable for reuse and high specific impulse [1][2][3]. Due to high combustion temperatures and high heat flux from the hot gas to the wall of thrust chamber, the cooling efficiency is a major design consideration for the LOX/LCH4 rocket engine [4][5][6]. Regenerative cooling with methane used as the coolant is generally regarded as the effective solution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on Two-Phase Pressure Drop of Methane during Flow Boiling in Mini Channel

Song,

Li,

Sun

et al. 2023

DDF

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For LOX/LCH4 variable thrust rocket engine, the propellant methane is traditionally selected as the coolant in regenerative cooling channel (RCC). With the decrease of engine thrust, the mass flow rate of coolant methane decreases gradually. At low engine thrust, the coolant methane is usually in a subcritical state. The heat transfer deterioration of subcritical methane occurs in RCC, which may cause thrust chamber wall ablation. The two-phase pressure drop data of methane are crucial parameters for the design and optimization of RCC. But it is rarely to find such measured frictional pressure drop data of methane in open published literature. The two-phase pressure drop of methane during flow boiling in the single mini channels with the diameters of 2.0 mm are investigated systematically. Effects of the mass flux (582.19~1755.48 kg/m2·s), inlet pressure (0.56~3.55 MPa), heat flux (53.25~318.68 kW/m2) on the frictional pressure drop of methane are discussed. The results show that the frictional pressure drop of methane during flow boiling increases with mass flux and inlet pressure at the experimental conditions, and heat flux shows weak effect on the frictional pressure drop. The comparisons of the experimental data with the predicted value by existing six correlations are analyzed. Contrary to the conventional channels, homogeneous model yields better prediction than five separated flow models. Present experimental results can provide reference for the design and optimization of RCC in LOX/LCH4 rocket engine.

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Effect of Inlet and Outlet Manifolds on Regenerative Cooling in LOX/Methane Thrust Chambers

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

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

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

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

Study on Two-Phase Pressure Drop of Methane during Flow Boiling in Mini Channel

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