TITLE : ROCKET EXHAUST FLOWS

BY : S&C Thermofluids - A G Smith

DETAILS :

• PHOENICS has been used to simulate a variety of rocket exhaust flows.
• The results reported here are for fully developed supersonic free jet flows.
• The results are compared with experimental data.

NOTES :

• Several turbulence models were used; the results from each of them are compared.
• PHOENICS 1.3 was used in this work.

Stages in underexpanded free jet development (1).
Stages in underexpanded free jet development (2).
Comparison between velocity profiles using different turbulence models.
Centreline axial velocity distributions.

DISCUSSION:

• The flow up to the first Mach disk is well predicted.

• Modifications to the built-in convection coefficients and to the standard k-e model help to improve predictions further downstream

• Early studies such as these have helped greatly the development of later versions of PHOENICS, with the result that PHOENICS 2.1 will give much improved predictions of the downstream flow.

Full details of the PHOENICS simulation and the experimental results may be obtained in:

Use of PHOENICS for prediction of rocket exhaust flows

A G Smith

Presented at the 3rd International PHOENICS User Conference, Dubrovnik, August 1989.