Thermal Analysis on Regenerative Cooled Liquid Propellant Rocket Thrust Chamber Using ANSYS

Abstract

In this research work, thermal analysis has done on a rocket engine's thrust chamber with four different shapes like, circular, rectangular with greater breath (b>d), rectangular with greater depth (d>b) and rectangular with greater depth with edges filleted coolant channel models to establish perfect suitable shape for the coolant channels in order to maintain the entire thrust chamber within the melting point of its materials. Finite Element Method (FEM) has adopted to establish the thermal behaviour of the coolant channel's materials such as Nickel, Copper and Zirconium under the specific boundary conditions. Temperature distribution with respect to the nodal distances at thrust chamber's inlet, throat and outlet portions with four different shapes of coolant channel models under Nickel, Copper and Zirconium materials were attained and compared with each other. Finite element results reveals that the successful configuration for generatively cooled rocket thrust chamber must have the coolant passage shape of rectangular cross section with greater depth (b>d).