Numerical investigation of the effect of the injector characteristics on the specific impulse, thrust, and chamber pressure of a hybrid rocket motor

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master's student, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

To address the low regression rate issue of hybrid propulsion systems utilizing fuel-rich (solid) paraffin combustion, dinitrogen oxide is employed as an oxidizer. This study focuses on a computational domain that includes a combustion chamber coupled with a peripheral exit region. A three-dimensional steady-state simulation is conducted using the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach, incorporating the standard k-ε turbulence model along with the Eddy Dissipation Model (EDM) to account for turbulence-chemistry interaction (TCI). A structured and uniform mesh is utilized for the oxidizer and gaseous fuel flow. The simulation results are validated against experimental data. The findings indicate that by increasing the injector diameter by 35.71% and the O/F ratio by 27.76%, the average combustion chamber pressure rises by 37.61%, the average thrust increases by 51.46%, and the specific impulse improves by 19.41% in the three-dimensional simulation. Additional simulation results demonstrate promising outcomes, and a numerical analysis is conducted to compare the effects of injector orifice diameter, oxidizer (dinitrogen oxide) injection arrangement, fuel mass fraction, and O/F ratio on the combustion chamber pressure and hybrid rocket thrust.

Keywords

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References

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Fluid Mechanics & Aerodynamics
Volume 13, Issue 2 - Serial Number 33
Autumn and winter 2024
November 2024
Pages 125-144

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History

  • Receive Date: 28 May 2024
  • Revise Date: 01 October 2024
  • Accept Date: 12 November 2024
  • Publish Date: 01 December 2024

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