Influence of coaxial injector element design on heat transfer in oxidizer rich staged combustion cycle engines
- Paper number
IAC-06-C4.3.05
- Author
Mr. Sebastian Soller, Technical University of Munich, Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Robert Wagner, Technical University of Munich, Germany
- Coauthor
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Peter Kau, Technical University of Munich, Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Chris Maeding, EADS Astrium GmbH, Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Philip Martin, EADS Astrium GmbH, Germany
- Year
2006
- Abstract
In the development process of liquid rocket engines, the injector element design is a crucial factor influencing performance and reliability of the combustion chamber. In order to gain detailed experience about the influence of injector design at an early stage of engine development, the Institute of Flight Propulsion at Technische Universität München and EADS Space Transportation, Munich, are investigating the impact of injector element design on combustion processes and heat transfer to the chamber wall in a single element combustion chamber operated with oxygen and kerosene.
Kerosene as a fuel offers a number of advantages concerning operating costs and handling and is a proven technology already implemented in Russian launchers. The oxidizer rich staged combustion cycle, as it is used in Energomashs RD-170 family is the engine cycle with highest performance capabilities. The RD-180 is an evolution of this successful engine type. The exhaust gases of the oxidizer rich pre-burner are fed into the main combustion chamber, where additional kerosene is injected and the combustion process takes place at slightly fuel rich mixture ratios. The design of the injector elements has to fulfil not only the demand of high combustion efficiency η c *, but also must ensure save operation without combustion instabilities and proper heat transfer conditions at the wall subjected to coking and sooting.
To investigate the heat transfer of GOX/kerosene a number of coaxial injectors has been hot fire tested in a single element calorimeter chamber at mixture ratios of 2.0 to 3.5 and pressures up to 8 MPa. Main objectives were to analyze the distribution of heat release within the chamber and the influence of film-cooling and soot formation on heat transfer to the cooling channels. The temperature data of the cooling water were studied with respect to the effect of a cooling film generated by the kerosene spray impinging the chamber wall. The analysis of dynamic and static wall pressure signals along the chamber axis was used to characterize the influence of design parameters on heat release.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-C4.3.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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