Flowfield and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Cooling Channel Flows in a Subscale Thrust Chamber

Abstract

Flowfield and heat transfer characteristics of supercritical parahydrogen flows in a cooling channl of a sub-scale hydrogen-cooled thrust chamber are investigated using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulation, in which conjugated heat transfer between coolant flow and chamber wall is taken into account directly. The considered system pressure ranges from 3.8 to 4.6 MPa, and temperature from 43 to 324 K at Reynolds number more than 1× 10 5 . The computed results are validated against the experimental data measured in the hot firing testings, which compare well with measured pressures and temperatures in a cooling channel, and wall temperature in a hot firing testings. Detailed flow structure and heat transfer characteristics in a cooling channel are clarified, showing strong thermal and density stratification, secondary flow effect, and particular asymmetric heat transfer characteristics.