The Journal of Engine Research

The Journal of Engine Research

Experimental study and 3D numerical simulation of the effect of pressure ratio on flow divergence efficiency of a linear aerospike nozzle

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Navid Heshmati 1
Zahra Hosseinipour 2
1 Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 Faculty of New Technologies and Aerospace Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/er.2024.2025793.1045
Abstract
In this study, the effect of the nozzle pressure ratio on the divergence efficiency of a linear aerospike nozzle has been investigated experimentally and numerically. To compare with conventional nozzles, a conical nozzle with the same design conditions as the Aerospike nozzle was used. The used nozzles are the type of plate nozzles, and the supersonic flow coming out of them was investigated by Schilleren's imaging technique. The comparison of Schilleran's experimental images with the results of the numerical solution showed the accuracy of the three-dimensional numerical simulation. The effect of the nozzle pressure ratio on the distribution of the supersonic flow areas of the nozzle outlet was observed. The results showed that the deviation of the flow from the axial mode with increasing the pressure ratio from 3 to 9 for the conical nozzle is three times more than the Aerospike nozzle. Also, by using the divergence efficiency relationship, it was shown that the efficiency of the Aerospike nozzle has fewer changes with changes in pressure ratio, and in values much lower than the design pressure ratio, it has a favorable efficiency of about 98%. The adaptability of the linear aerospike nozzle in changes in the pressure ratio is greater than that of the conical nozzle, so that reducing the pressure ratio by half of the design pressure ratio in the conical nozzle reduces the divergence efficiency by 10%, while this amount for the aerospike nozzle is less than 3 percent.
Keywords
Nozzle
Supersonic Flow
Conical Nozzle
Aerospike Nozzle
Nozzle Divergence Efficiency
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The Journal of Engine Research
Volume 70, Issue 3 - Serial Number 72
Best Paper of 20th Fluid Dynamics Conference
Autumn 2023
Pages 53-61

  • Receive Date 01 April 2024
  • Revise Date 28 April 2024
  • Accept Date 04 May 2024