Numerical Simulation of Superheated Steam Flow in a Micronozzle

摘要

Methods for creating thrusters with very low thrust using micronozzles have been actively developed recently. The propellant flow in such micronozzles are pressure driven and are characterized by low Reynolds number. Hence, the flow is always in laminar regime with high viscous losses. Proper design by effectively studying the flow behavior of propellant inside micronozzle is highly essential to minimize the losses. The geometry of the micronozzle is a key factor that affects the performance of the thruster. In this paper numerical examinations of the flow of superheated steam inside a 3D pyramidal micronozzle by solving Navier stoke's equation with no slip boundary condition and equation of energy conservation. The computational model is validated with available experimental data in the literature. The computations are performed for different mass flow rates and inlet vapour temperatures increased until the exit temperature reaches the saturation temperature of the vapour. The study provides the insight into analysis of flows in the complicated microdevices.