Advanced Design of a Multi-Thruster LOX/Propylene Aerospike Engine

摘要

The paper presents the design of a 30kN multi-thruster annular aerospike engine as candidate for the first stage of a two-stage pressure-fed Nanosat Launch Vehicle (NLV). Detailed description of the injector and layout of single thruster are provided. A major enhancement compared to a classical multi-chamber design with straight thrusters is achieved by introducing nozzle curvature in the circumferential and in the longitudinal direction. This approach allows increasing the available exit area, or pressure ratio, thus improving performance. The design work is supported by numerical analyses of the flow inside the curved thrusters and along the engine including slipstream effects using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations with realizable k-e turbulence modeling. The computations indicate an improved performance of the dual curved thrusters engine, which is about 2% above the linear design and above an ideal bell nozzle of equal area ratio. Simultaneously, the use of a larger expansion ratio reduces base drag in the transonic flight regime.