The erosion of rocket-nozzle ablative thermal protection materials during the solid-rocket-motor burning time needs to be accounted for to get reliable performance predictions, especially for long-duration firings and/or small nozzles (that is, upper stages). This work numerically investigates the erosion behavior as a function of chamber conditions for the nozzles of the Vega launch vehicle solid rocket motors: Zefiro 9, Zefiro 23, and P80. This study has been performed using a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation solver with specific application to ablative nozzles. The throat region of the nozzle, and specifically the carbon/carbon nozzle insert, has received special attention because its evolution has a significant impact on the motor performance. The analysis of the throat insert has been performed for the three full-scale nozzles by comparing the predictions to measured data from static firing tests. A sensitivity analysis to the most important model parameters that can influence the throat erosion prediction has been performed to highlight modeling capabilities and limits, as well as numerical uncertainties. Finally, a characterization in terms of nozzle throat ablation mass flux dependency upon the motor chamber pressure has been derived for the three nozzles via a power fitting of the numerical data performed at discrete chamber pressure levels.

Numerical simulation of chemical erosion in Vega solid-rocket-motor nozzles / Bianchi, Daniele; Neri, Agostino. - In: JOURNAL OF PROPULSION AND POWER. - ISSN 0748-4658. - STAMPA. - 34:2(2018), pp. 482-498. [10.2514/1.B36388]

Numerical simulation of chemical erosion in Vega solid-rocket-motor nozzles

Bianchi, Daniele;
2018

Abstract

The erosion of rocket-nozzle ablative thermal protection materials during the solid-rocket-motor burning time needs to be accounted for to get reliable performance predictions, especially for long-duration firings and/or small nozzles (that is, upper stages). This work numerically investigates the erosion behavior as a function of chamber conditions for the nozzles of the Vega launch vehicle solid rocket motors: Zefiro 9, Zefiro 23, and P80. This study has been performed using a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation solver with specific application to ablative nozzles. The throat region of the nozzle, and specifically the carbon/carbon nozzle insert, has received special attention because its evolution has a significant impact on the motor performance. The analysis of the throat insert has been performed for the three full-scale nozzles by comparing the predictions to measured data from static firing tests. A sensitivity analysis to the most important model parameters that can influence the throat erosion prediction has been performed to highlight modeling capabilities and limits, as well as numerical uncertainties. Finally, a characterization in terms of nozzle throat ablation mass flux dependency upon the motor chamber pressure has been derived for the three nozzles via a power fitting of the numerical data performed at discrete chamber pressure levels.
2018
thermochemical erosion; graphite nozzle; verification; roughness; radiation; pressure; model; flow
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Numerical simulation of chemical erosion in Vega solid-rocket-motor nozzles / Bianchi, Daniele; Neri, Agostino. - In: JOURNAL OF PROPULSION AND POWER. - ISSN 0748-4658. - STAMPA. - 34:2(2018), pp. 482-498. [10.2514/1.B36388]
File allegati a questo prodotto
File Dimensione Formato  
Bianchi_numerical-simulation_2018.pdf

solo gestori archivio

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (versione pubblicata con il layout dell'editore)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 4.21 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
4.21 MB Adobe PDF   Contatta l'autore

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1091803
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 28
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 10
social impact