Numerical Study on Hybrid Rocket Motor with Wagon Wheel Segmented Rotation Grain

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of the rotation and mid-chamber length on the combustion characteristics in hybrid rocket motor with wagon wheel segmented grain. Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and 90% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are adopted as propellants. Three-dimensional steady numerical simulations of the wagon wheel segmented rotation grain configuration are performed. The simulation results indicate that the vortexes form in the mid-chamber and the high temperature region area is increased in cases with segmented rotation grain. The influence of segmented rotation grain configuration on the fuel regression rate mainly exists in the after-section grain, and the average fuel regression rate basically increases when the mid-chamber length increases. The maximum improvement of the average regression rate is about 14.02%. The combustion efficiency can be enhanced by adopting segmented rotation grain configuration, and the maximum increment can reach 7.61%. Research conclusions of this article can provide meaningful reference for the performance improvement of hybrid rocket motor with wagon wheel grain.