Reactive flow simulations for a LOX/CH4 rocket engine

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to detail the reactive flow simulations of a LOX/CH4 multi-element rocket engine. The work has been conducted within the framework of the HYPROB-BREAD project whose main objective is the design, manufacture and testing of a LOX/LCH4 regeneratively cooled ground demonstrator.

Design/methodology/approach

Numerical simulations have been carried out with both commercial software and CIRA software developed in house. Two sets of boundary conditions, nominal and experimental, have been applied from which a code-to-code validation has been effected with the former and a code-to-experiment validation with the latter.

Findings

The results presented include both flow data and heat fluxes as well as parameters associated with engine performance, and indicate an excellent agreement with experimental data of a LOX/CH4 multi-element rocket engine.

Originality/value

The research is unique as the CIRA code Numerical Experimental Tool (NExT) has been validated with the commercial software FLUENT as well as with experimental values from the firing of the LOX/CH4 rocket engine demonstrator.

Citation

French, A., Cutrone, L., Schettino, A., Marini, M., Battista, F. and Natale, P. (2020), "Reactive flow simulations for a LOX/CH4 rocket engine", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 92 No. 9, pp. 1339-1344. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-01-2020-0006