Flow Analysis and Optimization of Supersonic Rocket Engine Nozzle at Various Divergent Angle using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Abstract

CFD is a branch of Fluid Mechanics which rely on numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problem that involves fluid flow. CFD analysis has been conducted to analyze flow pattern of supersonic rocket nozzle at various degree of divergent angle by using two dimensional axis-symmetric model, which solves governing equation by a control volume method. Variation in parameters like velocity, static pressure, turbulence intensity and temperature are being analyzed. Objective of this research is to is to investigate best suited divergent angle. The phenomena of oblique shock is visualized and it was found that at 15 degree of divergent angle it is completely eliminated from nozzle. Also intensity of velocity is found to have an increasing trend with increment in divergent angle thereby obtaining an optimum divergent angle which would eliminates instabilities due to shock and satisfy the thrust requirement from the nozzle.