IMPLINGEMENT-SHEET MIXING FOR INJECTION OF LIQUID PROPELLANTS IN ROCKET ENGINES

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EVALUATE THE USE OF IMPINGEMENT-SHEET MIXING, A NOVEL, RECENTLY DEVELOPED MIXINGPROCESS, FOR INJECTING LIQUID PROPELLANTS INTO ROCKET ENGINES. EARLIER WORK HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT IMPINGEMENT-SHEET MIXING IS ONE OF THE FASTEST LIQUID-PHASE MIXING TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE AND COULD POTENTIALLY BE ADVANTAGEOUS IN ROCKET INJECTORS. THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM TO BE PERFORMED IN PHASE I WILL PROVIDE PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES OF THE LIQUID-PHASE MICROMIXING TIME OF IMPINGING SHEETS AT VELOCITIES TYPICAL OF ROCKET INJECTORS. LIQUID-PHASE MICROMIXING TIMES WILL ALSO BE ESTIMATED FOR CONVENTIONAL ROCKET INJECTORS USING IMPINGING JETS. COMPARISONS OF THE RESULTS WILL BE MADE TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL USE OF IMPINGEMENT-SHEET MIXING AS AN ALTERNATIVE DESIGN FOR ROCKET INJECTORS. A PHASE II WOULD INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF INJECTION REYNOLDS NUMBER ON LIQUID-PHASE MIXING RATE FOR BOTH IMPINGING SHEETS AND IMPINGING JETS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EVALUATE THE USE OF IMPINGEMENT-SHEET MIXING, A NOVEL, RECENTLY DEVELOPED MIXINGPROCESS, FOR INJECTING LIQUID PROPELLANTS INTO ROCKET ENGINES. EARLIER WORK HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT IMPINGEMENT-SHEET MIXING IS ONE OF THE FASTEST LIQUID-PHASE MIXING TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE AND COULD POTENTIALLY BE ADVANTAGEOUS IN ROCKET INJECTORS. THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM TO BE PERFORMED IN PHASE I WILL PROVIDE PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES OF THE LIQUID-PHASE MICROMIXING TIME OF IMPINGING SHEETS AT VELOCITIES TYPICAL OF ROCKET INJECTORS. LIQUID-PHASE MICROMIXING TIMES WILL ALSO BE ESTIMATED FOR CONVENTIONAL ROCKET INJECTORS USING IMPINGING JETS. COMPARISONS OF THE RESULTS WILL BE MADE TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL USE OF IMPINGEMENT-SHEET MIXING AS AN ALTERNATIVE DESIGN FOR ROCKET INJECTORS. A PHASE II WOULD INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF INJECTION REYNOLDS NUMBER ON LIQUID-PHASE MIXING RATE FOR BOTH IMPINGING SHEETS AND IMPINGING JETS.