Reacting flow simulation of rocket nozzles

Abstract

Reacting flow simulation of high area ratio rocket nozzles is done using an indigenously developed Point Implicit Unstructured Finite Volume Solver. A numerical solution procedure to solve turbulent-reacting nozzle flow field is developed, which is based on the implicit treatment of chemical source terms by preconditioning and then explicitly solved along with unsteady turbulent Navier-Stokes equations. Chemical equilibrium was assumed in the nozzle inlet and the properties of combustion products and species concentration resulting in thrust chamber are obtained using chemical equilibrium composition code. Using this equilibrium composition as boundary conditions at inlet and ambient pressure conditions at exit, the present turbulent—reacting flow solver was able to successfully simulate nozzle flow field and predicted the delivered specific impulse.