Convective Heat Transfer Analysis of Supercritical-Pressure Methane in a Regenerative Cooling Channel

Authors

sharif

Abstract

Comprehensive analysis of coolant thermal behavior in regenerative cooling channels is one of the main steps in optimum design of launch vehicles. In methane-based propulsion systems, thermal analysis of methane coolant is important to predict the thermodynamic properties which depend on local temperature and pressure. Methane may experience a state change from subcritical to supercritical and heat transfer deterioration due to the high temperature gradients in the proximity of the walls, high Reynolds numbers, and three-dimensional flow structures in cooling channels. In the present study, a computational fluid dynamics solver was developed, which is able to simulate the convective heat transfer of supercritical methane coolant flow inside rectangular cooling channels. The solver was validated using reliable experimental data. The coefficients of current Nusselt number correlations were improved using minimization of relative root mean square error. Additionally, the entrance-region effects on heat transfer coefficient were simulated. The accuracy of the proposed relations was studied at different operating conditions. The proposed modified Nusselt correlations have errors less than 10% at outlet pressures higher than 8 MPa and heat transfer rates lower than 13 kW.

Keywords

References

  1. Hurlbert, E.A., Whitley, R., Klem, M.D., Johnson, W., Alexander, L., D’Aversa, E., Ruault, J.M., Manfletti, Ch., Sippel, M., Caruana, J.N., Ueno, H., and Asakawa, H. “International space exploration coordination group assessment of technology gaps for LOX/Methane propulsion systems for the global exploration roadmap”; AIAA Space, 2016.
  2. Trejo, A., Garcia, C., and Choudhuri, A. “Experimental investigation of transient forced convection of liquid methane in a channel at high heat flux conditions”, Experimental Heat Transfer, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp.97-112, 2016.
  3. Hendricks, R.C., Graham, R.W., Hsu, Y., and Friedman, “Experimental heat transfer results for cryogenic hydrogen flowing in tubes at subcritical and supercritical pressures to 800 pounds per square inch absolute”, NASA TN D-3095, 1966.
  4. Spencer, R. and Rousar, D. “Supercritical oxygen heat transfer”, NASA CA-135339, 1977.
  5. Giovanetti, A., Spadaccini, L.J., and Szetela, “Deposite formation and heat-transfer characteristics of hydrocarbon rocket fuels”, J. Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 22, No. 5, pp.574-580, 1985.
  6. Liang, K., Yang, B., and Zhang, Z. “Investigation of heat transfer and coking charrcteristics of hydrocarbon fuels”, J. Propul. Power, Vol. 14, No. 5, pp.789-796, 1998.
  7. Votta, R., Battista, F., Ferraiuolo, M., Ronicioni, P., Salvatore, V., and Matteis, P. “Design of an experimental campaign on methane regenerative liquid rocket engine cooling system”, 49th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conf., 2013.
  8. Votta, R., Battista, F., Salvatore, V., Pizzarelli, M., Leccese, G., Nasuti, F., and Meyer, S. “Experimental investigation of transcritical methane flow in rocket engine cooling channel”, Appl. Therm. Eng., Vol. 101, pp.61-70, 2016.
  9. Ricci, D., Natale, P., Battista, F., and Salvatore, V. “Experimental Investigation on the Transcritical Behaviour of Methane and Numerical Rebuilding Activity in the Frame of the Hyprob-Bread Project”, submitted for the the ASME Int. Mechanical Eng. Cong. & Exp., USA, 2015.
  10. Ricci, D., Natale, P., and Battista, F. “Experimental and Numerical Investigation on the Behavior of Methane in Supercritical Conditions”, Appl. Therm. Eng., Vol.107, pp.1334-1353, 2016.
  11. Pizzarelli, M., Nasuti, F., Votta, R., and Battista, F. “Validation of conjugate heat transfer model for rocket cooling with supercritical methane”, J. Propul. Power, pp.726-733, 2016.
  12. Pizzarelli, M., Nasuti, F., Votta, R., and Battista, F. ‘Assessment of a conjugate heat transfer model for rocket engine cooling channels fed with supercritical methane”, 51st AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conf., 2015.
  13. Pitla, S., Groll, E., and Ramadhyani, S. “New correlation to predict the heat transfer coefficient during in-tube cooling of turbulent supercritical CO2”, Int. J. Refrigeration, Vol. 25, No. 7, pp.887-895, 2002.
  14. Yoon, S., Kim, J., Hwang, Y., Kim, M., Min, K., and Kim, Y. “Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics during the in-tube cooling process of carbon dioxide in the supercritical region”, Int. J. Refrigeration, Vol. 26, No. 8, pp.857-864, 2003.
  15. Dang, C. and Hihara, E. “In-tube cooling heat transfer of supercritical carbon dioxide, Part 1. Experimental measurement”, Int. J. Refrigeration, Vol. 27, No. 7, pp.736-747, 2004.
  16. Gnielinski, V. “New equations for heat and mass transfer in turbulent pipe and channel flow”. Int. Chem. Eng., Vol. 16, No. 2, pp.359-368, 1976.
  17. Mokry, S., Pioro, I., Farah, A., King, K., Gupta, S., Peiman, W., and Kirillov, P. “Development of supercritical water heat-transfer correlation for vertical bare tubes”, Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 241, No. 4, pp.1126-1136, 2011.
  18. Wang, Y., Hua, Y., and Meng, H. “Numerical studies of supercritical turbulent convective heat transfer of cryogenic-propellant methane”, J. Thermophys Heat Transfer, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp.490-500, 2010.
  19. Jackson, J. and Hall, W. “Forced convective heat transfer to fluids at supercritical pressure” Turbulent Forced Convection in Channels and Bundles, pp.563-611, 1979.
  20. Ruan, B., Gao, X., and Meng, H. “Numerical modeling of turbulent heat transfer of a nanofluid at supercritical pressure”, Appl. Therm. Eng., Vol. 113, pp.994-1003, 2017.
  21. Bishop, A., Sandberg, R., and Tong, L. “Forced-convection heat transfer to water at near-critical temperatures and supercritical pressures”, Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa. Atomic Power Div, WCAP-5449; CONF-650603-1, 1964.
  22. Pizzarelli, M. “A CFD-derived correlation for methane heat transfer deterioration”, Numer. Heat Transfer, Part A, Vol. 69, No. 3, pp.242-264, 2016.
  23. Arun, M., Akhil, J., Noufal, K., Baby, R., Babu, D., and Prakash, M. “Effect of aspect ratio on supercritical heat transfer of cryogenic methane in rocket engine cooling channels”, Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 8, 2017.
  24. Wang, Y.Z. “Numerical investigation of supercritical turbulent heat transfer of cryogenic-propellant methane in a horizontal tube (In Chinese)”, Master Dissertation, Zhejiang University, 2010.
  25. Van Doormal, J.P. and Raithby, G.D. “Enhancement of the SIMPLE Method for Predicting Incompressible Fluid Flows”, Numer. Heat Transfer, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.147-163, 1984.
  26. Rhie, C. and Chow, W. “Numerical Study of the Turbulent FlowPast an Airfoil with Trailng Edge Separation”, AIAA Journal, Vol. 21, No. 11, pp.1525-1532, 1983.
  27. Spalart, P. and Allmaras, S. “A one-equation turbulence model for aerodynamic flows”, 30th aerospace science meeting and exhibit, 1992.
  28. Kunz, O. and Wagner, W. “The GERG-2008 wide-range equation of state for natural gases and other mixtures: an expansion of GERG-2004”, J. Chem. Eng. Data Vol. 57, No. 11, pp.3032-3091, 2012.
  29. Younglove, B.A. and Ely, J.F. “Thermophysical properties of fluids. II. methane, ethane, propane, isobutane and normal butane”, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp.577-798, 1987.
  30. Quiñones-Cisneros, S. and Deiters, U. “Generalization of the friction theory for viscosity modeling”, J. Phys. Chem. B, Vol. 110, No. 25, pp.12820-12834, 2006.
  31. Versteeg, H. and Malalasekera, W. “An introduction to computational fluid dynamics: the finite volume method”, Pearson Education, 2007.
  32. Dittus, F. and Boelter, L. Publications on Engineering, Vol. 2. University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 443-461, 1930.
  33. Taylor, M. “Correlation of local heat-transfer coefficients for single-phase turbulent flow of hydrogen in tubes with temperature ratios to 23”, NASA TN D-4332, 1968.
  34. Zhao, C. and Jiang, P. “Experimental study of in-tube cooling heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of R134a at supercritical pressures”, Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci., Vol. 35, No. 7, pp.1293-1303, 2011.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 03 June 2018
  • Revise Date: 09 January 2019
  • Accept Date: 02 January 2019
  • Publish Date: 20 February 2019

Share

How to cite

Statistics