Heat transfer enhancement of hydrogen rocket engine chamber wall by using V-shape rib

Abstract

The cooling capacity of regenerative cooling channels is still insufficient for the liquid rocket engine due to the high temperature of the combustion chamber and the little refrigerant mass flow. To improve the thermo-hydraulic performance of the combustion chamber wall, a V-shape rib is proposed, and its effect on heat transfer and pressure drop is investigated. Numerical models are built of a regenerative cooling channel with V-shape rib using CFD commercial software. Simulation results showed that V-shape ribs enhance convection heat transfer and improve thermo-hydraulic performance by 23 % compared to smooth cooling channels. Although the maximum temperature was reduced by 20.9 % , the flow resistance increased slightly. The overall heat transfer coefficient of the cooling channel with 30 ∘ V-shape rib is superior to that of the 60 ∘ and 45 ∘ V-shape ribs, and 30 ∘ V-shape rib with 10 m m pitch has the best cooling capacity. • A low temperature of the rocket engine chamber wall is essential to ensure safe operation. • Three V-shape ribs are investigated and compared with the smooth regenerative cooling channel. • 30° V-shape rib has a better thermo-hydraulic performance than the 60° and 45° V-shape ribs.