CFD analysis of transcritical methane in rocket engine cooling channels

Effect of Aspect Ratio on Supercritical Heat Transfer of Cryogenic Methane in Rocket Engine Cooling Channels

“…Email: josetkm@tkmce.ac.in which takes into account thermal stratification. Pizzarelli et al (2007Pizzarelli et al ( , 2008Pizzarelli et al ( , 2009aPizzarelli et al ( , 2009bPizzarelli et al ( , 2010Pizzarelli et al ( , 2011Pizzarelli et al ( , 2012Pizzarelli et al ( , 2013aPizzarelli et al ( , 2013bPizzarelli et al ( , 2014Pizzarelli et al ( , 2015 conducted a number of numerical studies to predict coolant flow and heat transfer deterioration in coolant channels with cryogenic methane as the fluid. They developed a simplified model to evaluate the thermal stratification in solid fin as well as the coolant.…”

Numerical study of supercritical-pressure fluid flows and heat transfer of methane in ribbed cooling tubes

“…A sharp temperature rise, a phenomenon known as heat transfer deterioration, occurs at around x = 320 mm in the cooling tube with smooth tube surface. The phenomenon is caused by strong property variations in the trans-critical region, as discussed in detail in previous publications [16][17][18][19][20]. At a supercritical pressure, although the physical process of phase change vanishes as the fluid reaches its pseudo-critical temperature, thermophysical properties still experience drastic variations, which will be presented and discussed later in this section.…”

“…2b. These physical phenomena have been discussed in detail in previous publications [16][17][18][19][20]. With a ribbed tube surface in the heated section, however, flowfield development in the near-wall region influences fluid temperature distribution and thus makes significant impact on property variations, as shown in Figs.…”

“…In recent years, because of the renewed interest in using cryogenic methane as an alternative propellant in aerospace propulsion systems [14,15], many studies on the supercritical-pressure fluid flows and heat transfer of cryogenic methane have been carried out, intended for fundamental understanding and practical applications of the regenerative engine cooling technology [16][17][18][19][20][21][22].…”

“…A threshold value of the ratio between wall heat flux and inlet mass flow rate, as a function of the operating pressure, was later proposed and identified as a main parameter dictating the onset of heat transfer deterioration at supercritical pressures [18]. Three-dimensional numerical studies of fluid flows and heat transfer of cryogenic methane in rectangular engine cooling channels with asymmetric heating enforced on one of the channel surface, the circumstance more relevant to practical engine operations, have also been conducted [19,20]. Effects of channel aspect ratios and other operating parameters, such as wall heat flux and operating pressure, on fluid flows and heat transfer were systematically examined.…”