Mathematical model of a liquid rocket engine cooling channel with local resistances
Heading:
| 1Slusariev, VV, 1Busharskyi, VL 1Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, 72, Gagarin Ave., Dnipro, 49010 Ukraine |
| Space Sci. & Technol. 2025, 31 ;(5):03-10 |
| https://doi.org/10.15407/knit2025.05.003 |
| Publication Language: English |
Abstract: This study focuses on local pressure losses at the local resistances in the cooling channels of liquid propellant rocket engine (LPRE) chambers. Nearly all cooling systems, in addition to channels, contain various local hydraulic resistances, such as collectors, bent nozzles, grooves, and orifices. Neglecting these elements or inaccurately accounting for them in design calculations can lead to significant deviations between predicted and actual engine performance. This, in turn, may increase the scope of work required for engine refinement and cause delays in development. Therefore, it is crucial for modern heat transfer models of LPRE chambers to incorporate the full range of processes occurring during engine operation. In this paper, the coolant flow is considered one-dimensional, with pressure losses due to local resistances treated as concentrated at specific points, which is a valid assumption for the design of LPRE cooling ducts. This article presents the development of a mathematical model for the cooling channels, accounting for the pressure losses due to local resistances. The proposed model is based on a previously developed model of cooling channels that did not consider local resistances. To address this problem, an equation to determine pressure losses in specific sections of the cooling system was derived. The model was verified by comparing its results with numerical simulations of flow in the cooling channel. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted in Ansys Fluent to model coolant flow through ducts with grooves. Subsequently, test calculations were performed using the developed model for an identical cooling channel geometry, and the results were compared with those from CFD simulations. The comparison confirmed the model's satisfactory accuracy, with relative deviations from CFD results not exceeding 2.8%.
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| Keywords: engine chamber cooling system, liquid propellant rocket engine, local hydraulic resistances, mathematical model of the cooling channels |
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https://doi.org/10.15421/452434
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Propellant Rocket Motors (SPRM). J. Propulsion Technol., 39(1), 92-99. DOI: 10.13675/j.cnki.tjjs.2018.01.010
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Rough Pipe Laws. J. Inst. Civ. Eng., 11(4), 133-156.
https://doi.org/10.1680/ijoti.1939.13150
4. Dubrovskiy I., Bucharskyi V. (2023). Devising a method to design supersonic nozzles of rocket engines by using numerical
analysis methods. Eastern-Eur. J. Enterprise Technol., 6(1(126)), 61-67.
https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2023.290583
5. Friedlander F. G. (1998). Introduction to the theory of distributions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press, 175 p.
6. Huber M., Lemmon E., Bell I., McLinden M. (2022). The NIST REFPROP Database for Highly Accurate Properties of
Industrially Important Fluids. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 61, 15449-15472.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.2c01427
7. Huzel D., Huang D. (1992). Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines. Washington DC: American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 425 p.
8. Idelchik I. Ye. (1992) Handbook of hydraulic resistances. M.: Mechanical engineering, 672 p. [in Russian].
9. Jeong W., Jang S., Kim H-J. (2023). Characteristics of a Heat Exchanger in a Liquid Rocket Engine Using Conjugate Heat
Transfer Coupling with Open-Source Tools. Aerospace, 10(12), 983-1002.
https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10120983
10. Jin X., Shen C., Wu X. (2020). Numerical Study on Regenerative Cooling Characteristics of Kerosene Scramjets. Int. J.
Aerospace Engineering, 20, 12 p.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8813929
11. Norris R. H. (1971). Some Simple Approximate Heat Transfer Correlations for Turbulent Flows in Ducts with Surface Roughness.
New York: American Society of Mechanical Engineering, 25 p.
12. Petrenko O. M., Bucharskyi V. L. (2017). Simulation of motion of ions in the channel of a stationary plasma thruster. Space
Science and Technology, 23(5), 14-20.
https://doi.org/10.15407/knit2017.05.014
13. Sliusariev V., Bucharskyi V. (2024). Development of a differential model for cooling an LPRE chamber by an incompressible
fluid. J. Rocket-Space Technol., 33(4), 49-58.
https://doi.org/10.15421/452424
14. Sliusariev V., Bucharskyi V. (2024). Development of a mathematical model for the cooling channel of a liquid propellant
rocket engine's chamber with respect for variations in coolant density. Eastern-Eur. J. Enterprise Technol., 6(1(132)), 14-20.
https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2024.316236
15. Song J., Liang T., Li Q., Cheng P., Zhang D., Cui P., Sun J. (2021). Study on the heat transfer characteristics of regenerative
cooling for LOX/LCH4 variable thrust rocket engine. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 28, 451-464.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2021.101664.
16. Vasilev A. P., Kudryavtsev V. M., Kuznetsov V. A. (1993). Fundamentals of the theory and calculation of liquid rocket engines.
M.: Higher school, 383 p. [in Russian].
17. Vekilov S. S., Lipovskyi V. I., Marchan R. A., Bondarenko O. E. (2021). Distinctive features of SLM technology application
for manufacturing of LPRE components. J. Rocket-Space Technol., 29(4), 112-123.
https://doi.org/10.15421/452112
18. Xu B., Chen B., Peng J., Zhou W., Xu X. (2023). A Coupled Heat Transfer Calculation Strategy for Composite Cooling
Liquid Rocket Engine. Aerospace, 10(5), 473-490.
https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10050473