Plug Nozzle Research Articles

Numerical Investigation of Unsteady Flow Characteristics of Planar Plug Nozzle in Over-Expanded Conditions

Abstract Plug nozzles are frequently regarded as a strong contender for futuristic single-stage-to-orbit space missions due to their inherent altitude-compensating properties. Optimizing the design of these nozzles to achieve peak performance during the initial ascent phase is of preeminent importance. The current research aims to deepen our comprehension of the unsteady behavior of plug nozzles during this ascent phase, commonly referred to as the overexpanded flow regime. It utilizes a full-spike plug nozzle and employs a finite volume-based solver within the OpenFOAM framework to investigate flow features across Nozzle Pressure Ratios (NPRs) ranging from 3 to 8. Additionally, the Ffowcs Williams Hawkings (FW-H) analogy is employed to assess the influence of acoustics in the nozzle's flow field at different NPRs.Spectral analysis and flow visualizations are employed to study the frequency content and the respective flow features of the system. It is observed that the flow exhibits separation beyond NPR 4 and is highly unsteady at NPR 6, which is inferred from the prominence of the recirculation bubble. However, beyond NPR 6, the flow tends to reattach the plug surface, dampening the disturbance.

PIV And Schlieren Measurements Of A Linear Plug Nozzle Jet Interacting With External Flow

Plug nozzles represent a promising concept as part of a propulsion system for space launchers. The ability to adapt the nozzle jet to the ambient pressure level improves thrust performance in overexpanded operating conditions compared to conventional bell nozzles. In this study, the dynamics of a jet flow of a cold air plug nozzle model are investigated by means of PIV and high-speed schlieren measurements. For a fixed nozzle pressure ratio, the jet flow is studied in an externalouter flow environment with sub-, trans-, and supersonic Mach numbers. The effect of plug truncation is analyzed as well. It is found that the outer Mach number strongly influences the flow pattern, local velocity magnitudes and aerodynamic modes. The frequency and dominance of vortex shedding and jet screeching modes are found to be highly dependent on the Mach number of the surrounding flow. A truncated plug introduces local accelerations in its base wake region, causing an increased shock strength in the jet structure. In addition,it causes severe periodic fluctuations in the flow that are transmitted to the shear layer and induce acoustic wave emissions. The impact of the plug length on the flow dynamics has been seen to decrease with increasing outer Mach number.

Investigation on the Influence of Film Cooling Structure on the Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Axisymmetric Plug Nozzle

Some numerical simulations were used to study the effects of blowing ratio (0.25–0.5), hole diameters(0.65~1 mm), and hole inclination angle (30~60°) of the film cooling structure on the cooling and aerodynamic characteristics of the axisymmetric plug nozzle under the condition of transonic. The results showed that the bow shocks appear near the film holes on the plug wall in the supersonic region, which cause the wall cooling effectiveness of the plug to decrease. Compared with the baseline plug, the blowing ratio ranged from 0.25 to 0.5, the wall average temperature of the rear plug decreased by 34.4~48.1%, the thrust coefficient and total pressure recovery coefficient decreased by 0.31~0.61% and 0.52~0.93%, respectively. When the perforated percentage is constant, the wall cooling effectiveness increases with the decrease of the hole diameters. The increase in the inclination angle of the film holes lead to the decrease in cooling effectiveness and aerodynamic performance. This is because the penetration ability of the cooling air to the mainstream is enhanced, and the obstruction to the mainstream boundary layer is increased, resulting in the increase of bow shock intensity near the film holes in the supersonic region.

The influence of plug nozzle and Laval nozzle on the flow field and performance of non-premixed rotating detonation combustor

With the rotating detonation engine's (RDE) development to engineering applications, the selection and optimization of nozzle is garnering great concerns, with the aim to maximize the performance benefits of this pressure gain propulsion system. The present study represents the first effort to explore the distinct impacts of two commonly used nozzles in RDE, namely, the plug nozzle and the Laval nozzle, on the internal flow and performance within the combustion chamber. Three-dimensional numerical simulations are conducted on non-premixed annular RDEs with plug nozzles and Laval nozzles. It is found that the Laval nozzle induces a forward-leaning wavefront structure in the combustion chamber. Furthermore, the overall pressure gain of the RDE is divided into the injection pressure loss, the average pressure gain at the chamber bottom, and the flow losses downstream, by combining the wavefront coordinate averaged flow field, which is proposed and applied in this study, and laboratory coordinate averaged flow field. The results show that, for the performance of the combustion chamber, while Laval nozzles enhance pressure gains at the chamber bottom and reduce exit flow non-uniformity, they also increase downstream losses. By comparing the RDE performance with the ideal performance of deflagration-based combustors, it is found that the premixed control group exceeded the deflagration ideal performance by 30%. Despite lower combustion efficiency, non-premixed configurations nearly match the ideal deflagration performance, underscoring the inherent advantages of RDEs.

Experimental Investigation of a Micro Turbojet Engine Chevrons Nozzle by Means of the Schlieren Technique

In connection with subsonic jet noise production, especially regarding the hot jet from a micro turbojet engine, we encountered a lack of recent high-resolution data in the literature describing the flow field using experimental validation through optical diagnoses. The objective of this paper is to examine and compare the influence on shear layers of the exhaust plug nozzle of a micro turbojet engine with and without chevrons mounted, using a high-speed camera used in Schlieren-type optical system diagnosis. Three different operating regimes are examined for both the baseline configuration and the configuration with 16 triangular-shaped chevrons. In conjunction with the image captures, the sound pressure level was recorded with the help of a microphone placed perpendicular to the flow, 0.4 m from the exhaust of the nozzle which was further processed. In quantitative terms, we found that the OASPL decreases by more than 1% when the engine is operating at higher regimes. Moreover, we found that the average exhaust jet angle, which is a measure of the quality of the fluid mixing layer is increased by 5% with respect to the baseline nozzle. By using the “darkest pixel” technique in Schlieren imaging, we can verify experimentally, for all working regimes, the theory that asserts that subsonic jet noise is a consequence of fine-scale homogeneous turbulence. Additionally, the potential novelty lies in the specific observations related to consistent dispersion of fine-scale eddies and how the presence of chevrons amplifies this uniformity within the turbulent field.

Design and performance evaluation of a high temperature axisymmetric plug nozzle

In this study, a method for designing supersonic nozzles with axisymmetric plugs at high temperature has been proposed. The approach is based on the theory of Prandtl-Mayer expansion at high temperatures using the method of characteristics. For this purpose, a code in FORTRAN language was developed in order to obtain the nozzle design. Once the latter was obtained, we were interested in the evolution of the thermodynamic parameters of the flow such as pressure, temperature, and Mach number. The results achieved were confronted with those obtained for a perfect gas model. Regarding the design parameters (length, section ratio, thrust coefficient and mass coefficient), we found that the PG model gives very satisfactory results for values of 𝑀𝑀 and 𝑇𝑇0 below 2.00 and 1000 𝐾𝐾, respectively. As 𝑀𝑀𝐸𝐸 and 𝑇𝑇0 increase, this affects performance, requiring the use of our HT model to correct the calculations. In order to minimize the weight of this nozzle, this research is investigating the truncation of the Plug nozzle to increase its performances. All calculations were performed for air.

Supersonic Plug Nozzle Conception and Comparison to the MLN Configuration

A method to design the contour and conception of a plug nozzle of arbitrary shape, but specified exit flow conditions is presented. Severals shapes can be obtained for exit Mach number by changing the specific heats ratio. The characteristics of the nozzle in terms of length, weight and pressure force exerted on the wall are compared to the Minimum Length Nozzle and found to be better. Our field of study is limited to the supersonic mode to not to have the dissociation of the molecules. The design method is based on the use of the Prandtl Meyer function of a perfect gas. The flow is not axial at the throat, which may be advantageous for many propulsion applications. The performance benefits of the plug nozzle compared to the Minimum Length Nozzle are also presented.

Altitude-compensating axisymmetric supersonic nozzle design and flow analysis

Altitude-adapted nozzles are designed to facilitate flow adaptation during rocket ascent in the atmosphere, without requiring mechanical activation. As a consequence, the performance of the nozzle is significantly improved. The aim of this study is to develop a new profile of axisymmetric supersonic nozzles adapted at altitude (Dual Bell Nozzle with Central Body), which is characterized by an E-D nozzle as a basic profile. The performances obtained for this nozzle (E-D Nozzle) are then compared to those of a Plug nozzle. The E-D nozzle shows significant performance advantages over the Plug nozzle, including a 13.02% increase in thrust, knowing that the length of the E-D nozzle is half that of the Plug nozzle under the same design conditions. Finally, viscous calculations using the k-ω SST turbulence model were conducted to compare the performance of the dual bell nozzle with central body (DBNCB) and the E-D nozzle with the same cross-sectional ratio, and to assess the impact of nozzle pressure ratio (NPR) variations on the operation mode of the DBNCB. The results obtained show that the DBNCB offers the best performance in most phases of flight.

Effect of film cooling structures on the cooling characteristics of plugs for two-dimensional (2-D) plug nozzle

Based on a turbulence model experimental validation, some numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the effect of plug film cooling on cooling and aerodynamic characteristics for a 2-D plug nozzle. In this study, two cooling schemes namely the half-covering and full-covering film cooling were designed and involved. For each cooling configuration, the effects of perforated percentage (ranged from 0.5% to 2.0%) and non-dimensional inlet total pressure (ranged from 1.02 to 1.20) of coolant on the cooling and aerodynamic performances are discussed separately. The results confirm that an obvious reduction of plug temperature is achieved under both cooling schemes. While the full-covering film cooling configuration performs better, especially at the plug trailing edge where shock waves occurred. Within the scope of the investigation, a small perforated percentage of 0.5% is favorable due to its superior ability to improve the pressure difference between mainstream and coolant; inversely, a big perforated percentage leads to the coolant flow resistance increasing, which may cause the mainstream to flow back at the plug trailing edge. Rising the inlet total pressure of coolant could enhance the cooling performance but also deteriorate the aerodynamic performance of nozzle. Specifically, compared with the case without cooling configuration, the non-dimensional inlet total pressure of coolant ranged from 1.02 to 1.20, the surface temperature of plug decreased by 20% ～ 45%; the total pressure recovery coefficient decreased by 0.22% ～ 1.26%.

Study on Control of Unsteadiness and Flow Asymmetry in Linear Aerospike Nozzles

The unsteadiness in flow over a linear aerospike nozzle is analyzed by a two-dimensional numerical simulation. Variations in the separation locations on two sides of the full-length plug nozzle, with the increase in nozzle pressure ratios (NPRs), are compared to study the asymmetry. For the linear aerospike nozzle considered, the flow becomes unsteady after . The amplitude of the pressure fluctuation over time is compared at different locations on the surface of the nozzle, starting from the separation point to a few locations downstream. The amplitude of the pressure fluctuation increases from the separation location, reaches a peak value, and then starts decreasing. Interaction between the trapped recirculation bubble and the overexpansion shock causes the asymmetry. An optimum truncation at is able to arrest the separation shock foot at the tip of the truncated base, thereby eliminating the pressure fluctuation over the plug surface. Interaction of the recirculation zones behind the truncated base causes a minor fluctuation from until . Nevertheless, the fluctuations are negligible when compared to the fluctuation over the full-length plug surface. The fluctuations die out at when the truncated plug is nearing closed-wake operation.

Design and Numerical Analysis of a Plug Nozzle

The purpose of this study is to simulate the flow in the plug nozzle. Further, the evolution of the parameters of this flow was studied. The mass of the nozzle and of the exhaust gases was calculated by the simulation. In addition, all these results are then compared with those obtained by the numerical calculations. In the second part of the study, the method of an approximate method was used to generate the profile of the plug nozzle for different values of heat capacity ratio γ and the number of exit Mach. Finally, our results are com-pared with those obtained numerically and experimentally (available in open literature).

Engineering Model of a Plug Nozzle for the Engine of a Prospective Supersonic Civilian Airplane

Engineering Model of a Plug Nozzle for the Engine of a Prospective Supersonic Civilian Airplane

Numerical Analysis of Flowfield in Linear Plug Nozzle with Base Bleed

A linear aerospike nozzle is a kind of altitude adaptive nozzle that has optimum performance over the entire operational range. In this work, flow characteristics of a linear plug nozzle and a truncated plug with 40% plug length are studied numerically. Different flow types associated with an increase in nozzle pressure ratio, corresponding wall pressure variation and shock patterns are studied. The effect of base pressure improvement with a secondary flow from the base (base bleed) of the truncated nozzle is also examined. Four base bleed points are considered, and the optimum bleed point is selected based on performance and base pressure improvement. The two-dimensional numerical model is solved using Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the Transition SST turbulence model. Validation shows that the present model is good enough at predicting the flow features associated with a linear plug nozzle. From the three different flow types associated with this nozzle, the transition from one type to other happens at lower nozzle pressure ratios with truncation due to the reduction in length of the plug. Thrust coefficient increased by 3.54% in the case of the bleed 3 configuration with a secondary flow of 2% of inlet mass flow rate when compared with 40% plug length without base bleed.

Design and Thrust/Weight Optimization of a Supersonic Plug Nozzle by Truncation

Design and Thrust/Weight Optimization of a Supersonic Plug Nozzle by Truncation

An experimental study on the control of plug nozzle jets

Experimental studies are performed for the near- and far-field characteristics of a plug nozzle jet with the objective to see the effect of truncation of the plug on mean flow characteristics of the jet and its control using vortex generators (VGs). To this end, the plug is truncated at 50%, 40%, and 30% of the axial length from the throat, and mean flow characteristics are studied by the schlieren technique and a pitot pressure survey. Nozzle pressure ratio (NPR) is varied from 2 to 8 for a Mach 1.8 nozzle designed to give correctly expanded flow at NPR 5.74. During over-expansion mode, all the truncation levels are observed to increase core length and strengthen shock cells of the jet, whereas, during under-expansion, truncation up to 50% of the plug is not found to alter the core length. To promote mixing, two rectangular VGs of different aspect ratios but same blockage area of 2% are attached to the base of the truncated plugs. The influence of pressure ratio on the flow structure of controlled and uncontrolled jets is discussed in detail. Results have shown VGs to be effective in mixing enhancement and weakening of shock cells over the nozzle pressure ratios studied.

On the fluidic behavior of an over-expanded planar plug nozzle under lateral confinement

The present work aims to study the fluidic behavior on lateral confinement by placing sidewalls on the planar plug nozzle through experiments. This study involves two cases of nozzle pressure ratio (NPR = 3, 6), which correspond to over-expanded nozzle operating conditions. Steady-state pressure measurements, together with schlieren and surface oil flow visualization, reveal the presence of over-expansion shock and subsequent interaction and modification of the flow field on the plug surface. The flow remains attached to the plug surface for NPR = 3; whereas for NPR = 6, a separated flow field with a recirculation bubble is observed. Spectral analysis of the unsteady pressure signals illustrates a clear difference between the attached and the separated flow. Besides, other flow features with a distinct temporal mode associated with and without lateral confinement are observed. The absence of lateral confinement reduces the intensity of low-frequency unsteadiness; however, on the contrary, the interaction region is relatively reduced under lateral confinement.

공압시험용 플러그 노즐의 핀틀 형상 및 작동압력에 따른 유동 특성 분석

공압시험용 플러그 노즐의 핀틀 형상 및 작동압력에 따른 유동 특성 분석

Computational fluid dynamics-based approach for low-order models of propelling nozzle performance

At the preliminary design stage for an aero-engine, the evaluation of the nozzle performance is an important aspect as it affects the overall engine cycle behaviour. Currently, there is a lack of systematic, extensive data on the nozzle performance and its dependence on the geometric and aerodynamic aspects. This paper presents a method that can be used to build characteristic maps for a nozzle as a function of a number of geometric and aerodynamic parameters. The proposed method encompasses the design of a nozzle configuration, a parameterisation of the nozzle pressure ratio, nozzle contraction ratio, plug half-angle (β), mesh generation, and an aerodynamic assessment using the Favre-averaged Navier–Stokes method. The method has been validated against experimental performance data of a plug nozzle configuration and then used for the aerodynamic assessment. The derived nozzle maps show that the thrust coefficient ( Cfg) for this type of nozzle is significantly sensitive to the combined effect of the variation of the proposed parameters on the nozzle performance. These maps were used to build low-order models to predict Cfg, using response surface methods. The performance was assessed, and the results show that these low-order methods are capable of providing Cfg estimates with sufficient accuracy for use in preliminary design assessments.

Experimental investigation of the effect of extended cowl on the flow field of planar plug nozzles

Plug and ramp nozzles offer many advantages over the conventional converging-diverging counterpart and have received much attention in the recent decades. Variants of plug nozzles have been investigated for a wide range of operating conditions. The performance of these nozzles is dependent on the flow development on the plug or ramp surface, which in turn is greatly influenced by the cowl geometry. Experiments are conducted to study the planar plug nozzle flowfield for Mach 1.8 and 2.2 using half nozzle geometry. The work primarily focuses on the influence of the cowl length on the flow evolution on the plug surface at different nozzle pressure ratios (NPRs). The cowl of the outer nozzle is extended to 10, 30, 50 and 100% of the full plug length. This allows the supersonic flow to partially expand internally ahead of the throat section. Schlieren images are used to visualize the wave structure at different pressure ratios for different cowl lengths. For low NPRs, the nozzle with extended cowl behaves more like a conventional planar nozzle with strong shock waves. It is observed that the cowl length influences the pressure distribution on the plug surface only for low NPRs. The effect of side walls on the flow field of planar plug nozzles is also studied.

Computational study on flow through truncated conical plug nozzle with base bleed

Conical plug nozzle and truncated conical plug nozzle are advanced rocket nozzles suitable for use as altitude compensating nozzles. In this study flow through the conical plug and truncated conical plug nozzles are numerically simulated to first validate with experimental data and then to compare the performance when a base bleed is introduced. The numerical analysis has considered two-dimensional axisymmetric models. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved with two equation shear stress transport k-ω turbulence model. For the validation of the plug nozzle, flow features and wall pressure along the length of the nozzle is taken for different nozzle pressure ratios. For the validation of truncated plug nozzle, flow features and base pressures at various nozzle pressure ratios are compared. The base bleed is taken as 2% of the inlet mass flow rate. The comparison of results shows that the introduction of base bleed helps to compensate for the loss of thrust due to conical plug nozzle truncation.