Flight performance of dual-bell nozzles

Abstract

We analytically studied the propulsion and flight performance of dual-bell nozzles. Specifically, we analyzed the shock induced separation flow inside the nozzle with the help of a recently proposed separation model. Based on the nozzle flow analysis, we evaluated propulsion performance and flight performance gains to be obtained by applying dual-bell nozzles to existing rocket engines. The performance gains obtained indicate that this advanced nozzle concept is promising for application to near-term launch vehicles. The tradeoffs between propulsion performance gain and weight penalties are discussed.