Numerical simulation of combustion in the chamberof a model low-thrust rocket engine operating on the gaseous oxygen–methane components

Abstract

The paper provides numerical study of the working process in a model low-thrust rocket engine operating on the gaseous oxygen-methane components based on results of the preliminary computational analysis of the component supply system efficiency. Combustion of the oxygen-methane unprepared preliminary mixture was numerically simulated carried using the fast chemistry approaches, including eddy dissipation models (EDM), chemical equilibrium and flamelet. To describe the chemical processes occurring during combustion, the Westbrook and Dreyer quasi-global two-stage mechanism, the reduced Jones—Lindstedt kinetic mechanism with the Frassoldati corrections and the GRI Mech 3.0 mechanism were used. Calculations were performed in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional formulations of the gaseous oxygen and methane diffusion combustion. Results of the parametric study (concentration and temperature fields) are presented for the oxidizer excess coefficients of α = 0.7; 1; 1.2. It is shown that using a mathematical model based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations closed by the k—ω SST turbulence model, supplemented with the flamelet model based on the GRI Mech 3.0 mechanism taking into account the radiative heat transfer makes it possible to obtain satisfactory convergence with results of the experimental study and to qualitatively assess the workflow in this type of engine.