Analysis of a transpiration cooled LOX/CH[formula omitted] rocket thrust chamber

Abstract

Transpiration cooling has been theoretically identified as a more efficient thermal protection system, compared to regenerative and film cooling techniques. The availability of porous light-weight high-temperature materials, such as ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), is making transpiration cooling an attractive solution for use in future re-usable rocket thrust chambers for cheaper access to space. In this study, a numerical framework, utilizing the industry standard computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code ANSYS CFX, for the simulation of transpiration cooled rocket thrust chambers is presented. The framework is shown to be suitable for predicting the performance, both in-terms of thermal protection and thrust produced, of thrust chambers that utilise transpiration cooling systems. A liquid oxygen (LOX) and methane (CH4) oxidiser and fuel combination is used, although the method is not limited to these substances. Foreign gas transpiration is modelled by a multi-component model. Different porous liner geometries and reservoir conditions are studied to demonstrate their effect on the performance of the thrust chamber. The numerical framework was developed to design a sub-scale transpiration cooled rocket thrust chamber ground test.