Drag force on quasi-axisymmetric scramjets at various flight Mach numbers: theory and experiment

The net axial force on a non-fuelled quasi-axisymmetric scramjet model designed for operation at Mach 6 was measured in the T4 Stalker tube at The University of Queensland using a single-component stress wave force balance. The design used was a variant of a model that was tested previously at Mach 6. The new model was equipped with a modified thrust nozzle that was designed to improve the performance of the nozzle. Tests were performed to measure the drag force on the model for Mach 6, Mach 8 and Mach 10 shock tunnel nozzles for a range of flow conditions. The nozzle-supply enthalpy was varied from 3 to 10 MJ/kg and the nozzle-supply pressure from 35 to 45 MPa. For the test model, the drag coefficient increased with increasing nozzle-supply enthalpy. The test results are compared with a force prediction method based on simple hypersonic theories and three-dimensional CFD. The test results are in good agreement with the predictions over the wide range of conditions tested. The re-designed model has a more efficient nozzle but this comes at the expense of increased drag associated with the modifications required for the cowl. The results indicate that this type of vehicle design is not likely to be suitable for flight above Mach 8.

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Influence of nozzle geometry on underexpanded axisymmetric free jet characteristics

The effect of nozzle geometry on the structure of a supersonic free jet is investigated both experimentally and numerically for three simple nozzle geometries. In the experiments, the relation between the Mach disk height and diameter and the nozzle pressure ratio are investigated using the schlieren method. In contrast to results obtained in previous studies, our experimental results show that the Mach disk height changes depending on the nozzle geometry. Numerical investigations were conducted by introducing flows upstream of the nozzle and the influence of these upstream flows on free jet configuration has been discussed.     

氨燃料吸气式变循环发动机性能分析

针对飞行马赫数0 ~ 10的宽域飞行器对吸气式动力的需求, 提出了一种以氨为燃料和冷却剂的宽域吸气式变循环发动机, 其工作模态可有3种: 涡轮模态、预冷模态和冲压模态. 首先通过对该发动机各模态热力循环过程进行建模, 计算得到发动机比推力、比冲和总效率等性能参数, 初步验证其在马赫数0 ~ 10范围内工作的可行性; 然后, 选取甲烷和正癸烷为低温低密度和煤油类碳氢燃料的典型代表, 对比各模态下氨与碳氢燃料发动机的性能差异. 结果表明, 由于氨突出的当量总热沉和当量热值, 飞行马赫数3 ~ 5的预冷模态发动机性能各指标均优于碳氢燃料. 在涡轮模态和冲压模态下, 氨燃料发动机比冲较低, 但比推力和总效率优于碳氢燃料; 最后, 对比分析各类燃料马赫数0 ~ 10宽域工作特性, 发现氨预冷可以显著提升发动机比推力, 特别在高马赫数范围, 再生冷却通道内氨可发生裂解反应大量吸热并分解为氢气和氮气, 会进一步提升发动机比推力和比冲, 且不会堵塞冷却通道, 因此可胜任飞行马赫数0 ~ 10的宽范围飞行需求. 而煤油类碳氢燃料受限于比推力低和裂解结焦问题, 最高工作马赫数难以超过8. 本文提出的氨燃料吸气式变循环发动机, 当量冷却能力强且比推力高, 适合用于二级入轨飞行器的一级动力、高马赫数宽域吸气式飞行以及未来高超声速民航等场景.      

Experimental research on the rotating detonation in gaseous fuels�Coxygen mixtures

An experimental study on rotating detonation is presented in this paper. The study was focused on the possibility of using rotating detonation in a rocket engine. The research was divided into two parts: the first part was devoted to obtaining the initiation of rotating detonation in fuel–oxygen mixture; the second was aimed at determination of the range of propagation stability as a function of chamber pressure, composition, and geometry. Additionally, thrust and specific impulse were determined in the latter stage. In the paper, only rich mixture is described, because using such a composition in rocket combustion chambers maximizes the specific impulse and thrust. In the experiments, two kinds of geometry were examined: cylindrical and cylindrical-conic, the latter can be simulated by a simple aerospike nozzle. Methane, ethane, and propane were used as fuel. The pressure–time courses in the manifolds and in the chamber are presented. The thrust–time profile and detonation velocity calculated from measured pressure peaks are shown. To confirm the performance of a rocket engine with rotating detonation as a high energy gas generator, a model of a simple engine was designed, built, and tested. In the tests, the model of the engine was connected to the dump tank. This solution enables different environmental conditions from a range of flight from 16 km altitude to sea level to be simulated. The obtained specific impulse for pressure in the chamber of max. 1.2 bar and a small nozzle expansion ratio of about 3.5 was close to 1,500 m/s.     

Influence of nozzle geometry on the near-field structure of a highly underexpanded sonic jet

Detailed near-field structures of highly underexpanded sonic free jets have been investigated with the help of computational fluid dynamics. Two-dimensional, axisymmetric Euler equations have been chosen to predict the underexpanded jets, and the third-order total variation diminishing finite-difference scheme has been applied to solve the system of governing equations numerically. Several different nozzles have been employed to investigate the influence of the nozzle geometry on the near-field structures of highly underexpanded sonic free jets. The results obtained show that the distance from the nozzle exit to the Mach disk is an increasing function of the jet–pressure ratio, which also significantly influences the shape of the jet boundary. The diameter of the Mach disk increases with the jet–pressure ratio, and it is further significantly influenced by the nozzle geometry, unlike the distance of the Mach disk from the nozzle exit. However, such a dependence on the nozzle geometry is no longer found when an effective-diameter concept is taken into account for the flow from a sharp-edged orifice. A good correlation in the diameters of the Mach disk is obtained, so that the near-field structure of highly underexpanded sonic free jets is a unique function of the pressure ratio, regardless of the nozzle geometry.     

提高高马赫数超燃冲压发动机推力的理论方法

斜爆轰发动机和激波诱导燃烧冲压发动机在高马赫数吸气式发动机中具有重要应用前景,但是斜爆轰发动机是否具有足够大的净推力,还是一个未知的问题,因此需要对高马赫数冲压发动机的推进性能以及提高推力的方法进行理论研究.本文主要分为3部分.第1部分理论研究了超燃冲压发动机中的爆燃波和爆轰波的传播特性.保证发动机稳定燃烧是提高推力的...     

Freestream effects on base pressure development of an annular plug nozzle

An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the effect of freestream flow and cowl-length variation on (i) upstream flow interference effects and (ii) the base wake-closure nozzle pressure ratio. It is observed that for supersonic freestream Mach numbers the nozzle exhaust seems to only slightly influence the upstream interference effects for M = 1.2 but shows significant influence for M = 1.6. Increasing the cowl-length further reduces the upstream flow interference effects significantly. Further, the reduced momentum thrust from the inner nozzle in the presence of freestream for similar nozzle pressure ratio (relative to static tests) delays the downstream movement of the system of shocks on the plug surface. In the case of the plug truncated at 40% length, this delays the onset of base-wake closure and hence, increases the base-wake closure nozzle pressure ratio with increasing freestream Mach number. Increasing the cowl-length also helps to increase the base pressure thrust contribution at all operating conditions.     

Viscous simulation of shock reflection hysteresis in ideal and tapered overexpanded planar nozzles

While a CFD simulation of the flow in overexpanded planar nozzles shows, inside an ideal nozzle, the existence of a hysteresis process in the transition from regular to Mach and from Mach to regular reflections such a process does not appear in tapered nozzles. Previous simulations have dealt only with the flow outside the nozzle and thus concluded that the hysteresis phenomenon takes place outside the nozzle even when viscous effects were introduced. When including the geometry of the nozzle in the simulation it becomes evident that flow separation will occur before transition from regular to Mach reflection for all relevant flow Mach numbers. The simulation reveals complex changes in the flow structure as the ratio between the ambient and the stagnation pressures is increased and decreased. The pressure along the nozzle wall downstream of the separation point was found to be less than the ambient pressure with the effect being more pronounced in the case of the ideal nozzle. The present study complements a previous study that dealt only with flow separation in an ideal nozzle.     

Numerical modeling of detonation combustion of hydrogen-air mixtures in a convergent-divergent nozzle

The flow of igniting hydrogen-air mixtures entering an axisymmetric convergent-divergent nozzle at a supersonic velocity is considered. A possibility of stabilizing detonation combustion is numerically investigated at different freestream Mach numbers with account for nonuniform distribution of hydrogen concentration at the nozzle entry. The investigation is performed on the basis of the two-dimensional gasdynamic Euler equations for a multicomponent reacting gas. A detailed model of chemical reactions is used. The calculated thrust is compared with the drag of a conical housing containing the supersonic nozzle considered.     

CABARET solutions on graphics processing units for NASA jets: Grid sensitivity and unsteady inflow condition effect

The GPU CABARET method for solving the Navier–Stokes equations coupled with the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings scheme for far-field noise predictions is applied for conditions of the NASA SHJAR experiment corresponding to Set Point 3 and 7 in accordance with Tanna's classification. The questions addressed include the sensitivity of the flow and noise spectra solutions to the grid resolution and the inflow condition at the nozzle exit. To study the grid sensitivity, several “hand-made” multi-block curvilinear grids are considered along with a simple hanging-nodes-type grid that was automatically generated with OpenFOAM, whose solutions are cross-verified. To study the effect of the inflow jet condition, the flow and noise solutions based on the laminar inflow condition for Set Point 7 case are compared with the same based on modifying the interior nozzle geometry with a turbulence grid to generate the initial unsteadiness inside the nozzle so that both the centerline velocity fluctuations and the jet Mach number at the nozzle exit are preserved in accordance with the experiment. The numerical solutions obtained are compared with the experimental data and reference LES solutions available in the literature.     

Profiling the Supersonic Part of a Plug Nozzle with a Nonuniform Transonic Flow

The effect of transonic flow nonuniformity on the profiling of optimal plug nozzles is studied in the inviscid gas approximation. Sonic and supersonic regions providing maximum thrust for given nozzle dimensions and a given outer pressure are designed for given subsonic contours and calculated nonuniform transonic flows. As in the case of uniform flow on a cylindrical sonic surface, the initial regions of the designed contours satisfy the condition that in these regions the flow Mach number is unity or near-unity. In all the examples calculated, the optimal plug nozzles produce a greater thrust than the optimal axisymmetric and annular nozzles with a near-axial flow for the same lengths and the same gas flow rates through the nozzle. It is established that contouring without regard for transonic flow nonuniformity can result in considerable thrust losses. However, these losses are due only to a decrease in the flow rate, while the specific thrust may even increase slightly.     

采用NND方法计算三维喷管气流场

本文运用NND显式差分格式,计算了三维喷管气流场。气流场计算的基本方程为一般贴体坐标系下三维守恒型的欧拉方程。采用了时间分裂法和Steger-Warming矢通量分裂技术。在喷管内沿周向的每个由轴线和壁面构成的子午面上根据泊松方程生成贴体网格。本文运用三维程序计算了轴对称JPL喷管,同时与实验结果和前人采用轴对称二维程序所计算的结果做了对比。最后,本文还计算了三维矢量喷管,计算结果与现有的实验结果一致。通过轴对称JPL喷管和三维矢量喷管的计算考核,表明建立的算法和编写的计算程序是正确的。文中提出了采用子午面形式的贴体网格时奇性轴的处理方法。计算结果表明在喷管壁面处,马赫数与压强的计算结果与实验值吻合较好,而在喷管轴线处,只有当网格较密时,才能得出与实验结果接近的计算结果。     

Supersonic combustion and hypersonic propulsion

50 多年的努力和曲折经历证明了超声速燃烧冲压发动机概念的可行性. 本文对影响超燃冲压发动机技术成熟的主要因素作了扼要的分析. 高超声速推进的首要问题是净推力, 利用超声速燃烧获得推力遇到各种实际问题的制约, 它们往往互相牵制. 几次飞行试验表明高超声速飞行需要的发动机净推力仍差强人意, 液体碳氢燃料(煤油) 超燃冲压发动机在飞行马赫数5 上下的加速和模态转换过程, 成为高超声速吸气式推进继续发展的瓶颈. 研究表明, 利用吸热碳氢燃料不仅是发动机冷却的需要也是提高发动机推力和性能的关键举措, 燃料吸热后物性改变对燃烧性能的附加贡献对超燃冲压发动机的净推力至关重要.当前, 实验模拟技术和测量技术相对地落后, 无法对环境、尺寸和试验时间做到完全的模拟. 计算流体动力学(Computational Fluid Dynamics, CFD) 逐渐成为除实验以外唯一可用的工具, 然而, 超声速燃烧的数值模拟遇到湍流和化学反应动力学的双重困难. 影响对发动机的性能作正确可靠的评估.提出双模态超燃冲压发动机模态转换、吸热碳氢燃料主动冷却燃料催化裂解与超声速燃烧耦合、燃烧稳定性、实验模拟技术与装置、内流场特性和发动机性能测量、数值模拟中的湍流模型、煤油替代燃料及简化机理等研究前沿课题, 和未来5~10 年重点发展方向的建议.     

Thrust shock vector control of an axisymmetric conical supersonic nozzle via secondary transverse gas injection

Transverse secondary gas injection into the supersonic flow of an axisymmetric convergent–divergent nozzle is investigated to describe the effects of the fluidic thrust vectoring within the framework of a small satellite launcher. Cold-flow dry-air experiments are performed in a supersonic wind tunnel using two identical supersonic conical nozzles with the different transverse injection port positions. The complex three-dimensional flow field generated by the supersonic cross-flows in these test nozzles was examined. Valuable experimental data were confronted and compared with the results obtained from the numerical simulations. Different nozzle models are numerically simulated under experimental conditions and then further investigated to determine which parameters significantly affect thrust vectoring. Effects which characterize the nozzle and thrust vectoring performances are established. The results indicate that with moderate secondary to primary mass flow rate ratios, ranging around 5 %, it is possible to achieve pertinent vector side forces. It is also revealed that injector positioning and geometry have a strong effect on the shock vector control system and nozzle performances.     

Experimental study of boundary layer separation in truncated ideal contour nozzles

DLR Lampoldshausen carried out a cold flow test series to study the boundary layer separation and the related flow field in a truncated ideal contour nozzle. A special focus was set on low nozzle pressure ratios to identify the origin of a locally re-attached flow condition that was detected in previous test campaigns. A convex shaped Mach disc was found for nozzle pressure ratios less than 10 and a slight concave one for nozzle pressure ratios more than 20. Due to boundary layer transition at low nozzle pressure ratios the convex Mach disc is temporary tilted and redirects the flow towards the nozzle wall. A simple separation criterion for turbulent nozzle flows is presented that fits well for both cold and hot flows. It is shown that the oblique separation shock recompresses the flow to 90% of the ambience. The separation zone of the presented film cooled nozzle is compared with a conventional one around 40% longer. Furthermore a relation between shear layer shape and forced side loads is described.      

Study on micronozzle flow and propulsion performance using DSMC and continuum methods

In this paper, both DSMC and Navier–Stokes computational approaches were applied to study micronozzle flow. The effects of inlet condition, wall boundary condition, Reynolds number, micronozzle geometry and Knudsen number on the micronozzle flow field and propulsion performance were studied in detail. It is found that within the Knudsen number range under consideration, both the methods work to predict flow characteristics inside micronozzles. The continuum method with slip boundary conditions has shown good performance in simulating the formation of a boundary layer inside the nozzle. However, in the nozzle exit lip region, the DSMC method is better due to gas rapid expansion. It is found that with decreasing the inlet pressure, the difference between the continuum model and DSMC results increases due to the enhanced rarefaction effect. The coefficient of discharge and the thrust efficiency increase with increasing the Reynolds number. Thrust is almost proportional to the nozzle width. With dimension enlarged, the nozzle performance becomes better while the rarefaction effects would be somewhat weakened.The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10372099). The English text was polished by Boyi Wang     

Shock pattern in the plume of rocket nozzles: needs for design consideration

For ideal nozzles, basically two different types of shock structures in the plume may appear for overexpanded flow conditions, a regular shock reflection or a Mach reflection at the nozzle centreline. Especially for rocket propulsion, other nozzle types besides the ideal nozzles are often used, including simple conical, thrust-optimized or parabolic contoured nozzles. Depending on the contour type, another shock structure may appear: the so-called cap-shock pattern. The exact knowledge of the plume pattern is of importance for mastering the engine operation featuring uncontrolled flow separation inside the nozzle, appearing during engine start-up and shut-down operation. As consequence of uncontrolled flow separation, lateral loads may be induced. The side-load character strongly depends on the nozzle design, and is a key feature for the nozzle’s mechanical structure layout. It is shown especially for the VULCAIN and VULCAIN 2 nozzle, how specific shock patterns evolve during transients, and how - by the nozzle design - undesired flow phenomena can be avoided.     

Separated nozzle flow

A separated turbulent flow in an axisymmetrical nozzle is studied numerically. Two configurations nozzle are investigated. The first one is the truncated ideal contour nozzle, DLR-TIC, is fed with nitrogen. The second configuration is called the thrust optimized contour nozzle or TOC type, ONERA-TOC, where the operating gas is a hot air. The classical pattern of a free shock separation is obtained for different values of the nozzle pressure ratio. The results are compared and validated using experimental data.     

Detonation combustion of hydrogen in an axisymmetric channel with a central body

The problem of initiation and stabilization of detonation combustion of a hydrogen–air mixture injected into an axisymmetric channel with a finite-length central body in a flow with a Mach number M₀ = 5–9 is solved. It is numerically demonstrated that the presence of the central body both in a convergent–divergent nozzle and in an expanding channel leads to stabilization of detonation combustion of a stoichiometric hydrogen–air mixture at free-stream Mach numbers M₀ > 7. Various channel configurations that ensure different values of thrust generated by detonation combustion of a stoichiometric hydrogen–air mixture are compared.