Injector Head Transpiration Cooling Coupled with Combustion in Subscale Thrust Chamber

Abstract

Transpiration cooling coupled with combustion was investigated in an liquid rocket thrust chamber with a transpiration-cooled injector plate. A numerical model was developed using the real gas equation of state. The and combustion process was modeled by the eddy dissipation concept model, which includes the detailed chemical reaction mechanisms in turbulent flows. The permeability and the inertia coefficient of the metal mesh, porous media used for the injector plate were obtained experimentally. The simulation results for the porous plate temperatures and fluxes compare well with hot firing experiments, giving reliable predictions of the combustion, flow, and heat transfer processes in the liquid rocket thrust chamber. The model was also used to investigate the effects of the inlet conditions and the plate material on the transpiration cooling. The results show that locations near the chamber wall and the ignition hole on the plate surface have higher temperatures than other locations. The relatively small thermal conductivity of the porous media is also shown to decrease the plate surface temperature, but increase the thermal stress in the plate.