On the onset of heat transfer deterioration in supercritical coolant flow channels

The deterioration of forced convection heat transfer can affect channel flows of supercritical fluids, and therefore has to be taken in consideration when dealing with regenerative cooling of liquid rocket engines. A threshold value of the ratio between the heat flux and the specific mass flow rate is identified as the main parameter controlling the heat transfer deterioration onset. The threshold parameter depends on the specific thermodynamic conditions of the coolant and in particular on its pressure level. In the present study, a parametric numerical analysis has been carried out on the flow of supercritical methane in heated channels, for an assigned inlet temperature level and varying the inlet pressure. A correlation for the threshold parameter as a function of pressure is then proposed on the basis of the obtained results. © 2012 by A. Urbano and F. Nasuti.