Modeling of liquefying material interaction with hot gas flow in application to hybrid rocket engines

Abstract

Results of numerical modeling of solid fuel melting and shedding by hot gas flow are presented. The computational model is based on the Volume-of-Fluid approach, implemented on a two-dimensional Cartesian grid, with one-equation turbulence model. Simulations are presented for a slab of wax interacting with a parallel gas flow, with the properties taken to be typical of hybrid engines (nitrous oxide). Development of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the melt layer is demonstrated, including the wave formation and droplet shedding by the flow.