Heat transfer capability simulation of high-temperature heat pipe in supersonic vehicle leading edge applications

Donghuan Liu,Yinghua Liu

doi:10.1177/1687814016644375

Abstract

A numerical method is proposed to determine the heat transfer capability of the high-temperature heat pipe and the stagnation temperature with supersonic vehicle leading edge applications. The finite element method is employed here to perform the temperature field simulation. Without considering the heat transfer limitations of the heat pipe, such as capillary limit and sonic limit, both numerical and experimental results indicate that equivalent high thermal conductivity method is a reasonable way to simulate the heat transfer capability of the high-temperature heat pipe in preliminary design of a heat-pipe-cooled leading edge. Several important parameters’ effects on the thermal protection performance are also numerically investigated.

Highlights

As a hypersonic vehicle travels through the earth’s atmosphere, the high local heating causes very high aerodynamic heating fluxes and high temperatures
In engineering practice, longer heat pipe may have manufacture and assembly problems. Numerical methods such as prescribe temperature method (PTM) and equivalent high thermal conductivity method (EHTCM) are comparatively studied in simulating the heat transfer capability of the high-temperature heat pipe used in supersonic vehicle leading edges
Both numerical and experimental results indicate that EHTCM is a much reasonable way to simulate the heat transfer capability of the heat pipe. This method can quickly determine the heat transfer capability of the high-temperature heat pipe as well as the stagnation temperature, and this is very important in the preliminary design stage of the thermal protection structure (TPS)

Summary

Introduction

As a hypersonic vehicle travels through the earth’s atmosphere, the high local heating causes very high aerodynamic heating fluxes and high temperatures. Stagnation regions such as nose caps, wing and tail leading edges are critical design areas of hypersonic vehicles. Generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV) must be capable of sustaining consistent repeated aerodynamic heating without damage or deterioration. The ‘‘hot structure’’ concepts might be a very good alternative.[3] The hot structure itself is conceived to resist the aerodynamic heating without employing TPS tiles.

Objectives

Conclusion