MODELING OF TURBULENT SPRAY COMBUSTION IN LIQUID ROCKET ENGINE COMPONENTS

FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS OF THE COMBUSTION PROCESSES IN LIQUID ROCKET ENGINES IS VERY COMPLEX. RECENT ADVANCES IN COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD) PROVIDE A BASIC MECHANISM FOR DETAILED ANALYSES. THE EXISTENCE OF CFD TECHNIQUES INCREASES THE NEED OF ADEQUATE MODELS FOR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, SUCH AS: ATOMIZATION AND SPRAY FORMATIONUNDER SUB AND SUPERCRITICAL CONDITIONS, DROPLET-DROPLET INTERACTION, TURBULENCE, MASS TRANSFER VIA EVAPORATION AND DIFFUSION, AND COMBUSTION OF DILUTE AND DENSE SPRAYS. THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL FOCUS ON THE TESTING AND REFINEMENT OF THE PHYSICAL MODELS FOR: (A) MASS TRANSFER UNDER TRANSITION (FROM SUBCRITICAL TO SUPERCRITICAL) CONDITIONS, (B) TURBULENT DIFFUSION OF DROPLETS AND DENSED-GAS PUFFS, AND (C) GROUP COMBUSTION IN THE DENSE SPRAY REGION. THESE MODELS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO A REACTIVE FLOW ANALYSIS CODE, REFLAN (DEVELOPED FOR NASA, FOR LIQUID ROCKET MOTORS). A SERIES OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS WILL BE PERFORMED FOR THE FUELSIDE PREBURNER OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE. THE ADOPTED CODE WILL PROVIDE A SOUND BASE FOR: (A) RESEARCHINTO PHYSICAL MODELS; AND (B) ANALYSIS OF REACTIVE FLOWS. THE CODE WILL BE DOCUMENTED AND DELIVERED IN SOURCE FORM. UNDER PHASE II, EMPHASIS WILL BE ON FURTHER VERIFICATION OF THE CODE SUCH THAT IT CAN BECOME A RELIABLE ANALYSIS TOOL.