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Design and Optimization of Aerospike nozzle using CFD

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ICRAAE-2017 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 247 (2017) 012008 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/247/1/012008
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Design and Optimization of Aerospike nozzle using CFD

Naveen Kumar K1, Gopalsamy M2, Daniel Antony2, Krishnaraj R3 and

Chaparala B V Viswanadh3
1
Assistant Professor, Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Kumaraguru college
of technology, Coimbatore, India.
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Karunya University,
Coimbatore, India.
3
UG Scholar, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Karunya University,
Coimbatore, India.

E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. New rocket designs are being adopted to increase the performance of the current
satellite launch vehicles (SLVs). But, the aerospike (or plug) nozzle concept that has been
under development since the 1950s is yet to be utilized on a launch platform. Due to its ability
to adjust the environment by altering the outer jet boundary, the aerospike nozzle delivers
better performance compared to present day bell nozzle. An aerospike nozzle is designed for
20 bar pressure ratio. In order to improve the performance of the aerospike nozzle for various
conditions, optimization of the nozzle was carried out for some important design parameters
and their performances were studied for cold flow conditions. Initially a model of an aerospike
nozzle is created for certain parameters, then the optimization process is carried out for the
nozzle (Truncated model & Base bleed model). Optimized model is designed by the software
GAMBIT and the flow behaviour is analysed by the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
software called FLUENT. Comparison also takes place between the full length and the
optimized models.

Keywords- Aerospike nozzle, Contour, Base bleed, altitude compensation

1. INTRODUCTION
The most popular altitude-compensating rocket nozzle to date is the aerospike nozzle, the origin of
which dates back to Rocket dyne in the 1950s. This type of nozzle was designed to allow for better
overall performance than conventional nozzle designs.

1.1. Nozzle
A nozzle is a mechanical device of varying cross section which controls the direction and
characteristics of the fluid (Air or Water) flowing through it. They are used in rocket engines to
expand and accelerate the combustion gases, from burning propellants, so that the exhaust gases exit
the nozzle at supersonic or hypersonic velocities.

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Figure 1. C-D Nozzle.

When the fluid flows through the nozzle it exits at a higher velocity than its inlet velocity. This
phenomenon occurs due to conservation of mass which states that the rate of change of mass equals to
the product of density, area and velocity. m = *A*V m = mass flow rate A = area of flow V = velocity
of flow Solving this equation using differentiation, we get the equation,

1.2. NEED FOR NEW DESIGN

The revolution in aerospace propulsion was increased greatly during World War 2. Faster, bigger and
more efficient aerospace vehicles were required which led to the birth of Space research organizations
like NASA. Speaking about the future, advanced rocket propulsion systems will require exhaust
nozzles that perform efficiently over a wide range of ambient operating conditions. Most nozzles
either lack this altitude compensating effect or they are extremely difficult to manufacture. In present
day, only bell nozzles are used for launch activities. But, these bell nozzles have a major drawback of
decreasing in efficiency as altitude increases. This is due to a phenomenon causing loss of thrust in the
nozzle at higher altitudes called as separation of the combustion gases.
For conventional bell nozzles, loss mechanisms fall into three categories:
 geometric or divergence loss,
 Viscous drag loss,
 Chemical kinetics loss.
Geometric loss results when a portion of the nozzle exit flow is directed away from the nozzle axis,
resulting in a radial component of momentum. In an ideal nozzle, the exit flow is completely parallel
to the nozzle axis and possesses uniform pressure and Mach number. By calculating the momentum of
the actual nozzle exit flow and comparing it to the parallel, uniform flow condition, the geometric
efficiency is determined. By careful shaping of the nozzle wall, relatively high geometric efficiency
can be realized. A drag force, produced at the nozzle wall by the effects of a viscous high-speed flow,
acts opposite to the direction of thrust, and therefore results in a decrease in nozzle efficiency. The
drag force is obtained by calculation of the momentum deficit in the wall boundary layer. This viscous
drag efficiency is defined as:

The third nozzle loss mechanism is due to finite-rate chemical kinetics. Ideally, the engine exhaust gas
reaches chemical equilibrium at any point in the nozzle flow field, instantaneously adjusting to each
new temperature and pressure condition. In real terms, however, the rapidly accelerating nozzle flow
does not permit time for the gas to reach full chemical equilibrium.

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The overall nozzle efficiency is then given by the combined effects of geometric loss, viscous drag
and chemical kinetics: ηkin= 0.99(approximate).

A long nozzle is needed to maximize the geometric efficiency; but simultaneously, nozzle drag is
reduced if the nozzle is shortened. If chemical kinetics is an issue, then the acceleration of exhaust
gases at the nozzle throat should be slowed by increasing the radius of curvature applied to the design
of the throat region. The optimum nozzle contour is a design compromise that results in maximum
overall nozzle efficiency. Nozzle contours can also be designed for reasons other than for maximum
thrust. Contours can be tailored to yield certain desired pressures or pressure gradients to minimize
flow separation at sea level. A nozzle contour designed to produce parallel, uniform exit flow, thereby
yielding 100 % geometric nozzle efficiency, is called an ideal nozzle.

This ideal nozzle is extremely long and the high viscous drag and nozzle weight that results
are unacceptable. Some design approaches consider truncating ideal nozzles keeping in mind the
weight considerations. Most companies have a parabolic curve-fit program, generally used to
approximate Rao optimum contours, which can also be used to generate desired nozzle wall pressures.
For nozzles at higher altitudes, vacuum performance is the overriding factor relating to mission
performance and high nozzle area ratio is therefore desirable. However, nozzle over-expansion at sea
level does result in a thrust loss because the wall pressure near the nozzle exit is below ambient
pressure. If the nozzles exit area could be reduced for launch and then gradually increased during
ascent, overall mission performance would be improved. The ideal rocket engine would make use of a
variable-geometry nozzle that adjusted contour, area ratio and length to match the varying altitude
conditions encountered during ascent. This feature is referred to as Altitude Compensation.

1.3. Aerospike Nozzle

The aerospike nozzle is a bell nozzle with its nozzle profile turned inside out. Flow of combustion
gases is directed radially inward towards the nozzle axis. In the annular aerospike nozzle, flow issues
from an annulus at a diameter located some radial distance from the nozzle axis. Flow is directed
radially inward toward the nozzle axis. This concept is the opposite of a bell nozzle which expands the
flow away from the axis along diverging nozzle walls. In an aerospike, the nozzle expansion process
originates at a point on the outer edge of the annulus which is referred to as the "cowl-lip." In a
standard bell nozzle, flow expansion continues regardless of what the ambient pressure is, and the
flow can continue to over-expand until it separates from the nozzle walls. The linear aerospike, spike
consists of a tapered wedge-shaped plate, with exhaust exiting on either side at the "thick" end.

1.3.1. Working Principle of Aerospike nozzle:

The function of a rocket nozzle is to direct all gases, generated in the combustion chamber of the
engine and accelerated by the throat, out of the nozzle. The key feature of the aerospike engine is that,
as the launch vehicle ascends during its trajectory, the decreasing ambient pressure allows the
effective nozzle area ratio of the engine to increase. An aerospike nozzle is often referred to as an
altitude-compensating nozzle, because of its specific design capability of maintaining aerodynamic
efficiency as altitude increases and thus throughout the entire trajectory. At the outer cowl lip, the gas
expands to the atmospheric pressure immediately, and then causes serious expansion waves
propagating inward at an angle through the gas stream. At the location where the last expansion wave
intercepts the spike, the gas pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure. For the over expanded case,
the spike changes the gas to be directed outward, and thus compression waves form and propagate
outward at an angle and reflect off the jet boundary as expansion waves. This process then begins
again. The aerospike features a series of small combustion chambers along the ramp that shoot hot
gases along the ramp's outside surface to produce thrust in a spike-shaped plume, hence the name
"aerospike."

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Figure 2. Model of aerospike with flow field

The ramp serves as the inner wall of the bell nozzle, while atmospheric pressure serves as the
"invisible" outer wall. The combustion gases race along the inner wall (the ramp) and the outer wall
(atmospheric pressure) to produce the thrust force.

1.3.2. Flow around Aerospike Nozzle

The main advantage to the annular aerospike nozzle design (both full length and truncated spike) is its
altitude compensation ability below or at its design altitude. More specifically, the aerospike will not
suffer from the same overexpansion losses a bell nozzle suffers and can operate near optimally, giving
the highest possible performance at every altitude up to its design altitude. Above the design altitude,
the aerospike behaves much like a conventional bell nozzle. Figure below shows the exhaust flow
along an aerospike at low altitudes, design altitude, and high altitudes for a full spike and a truncated
spike. Multiple expansion and compression, or shock, waves are evident in the flow in Figure these
waves lead to losses in thrust. The outer flow boundary of the aerospike is the atmosphere itself.
Unique to aerospike engines operating at their design altitude, engine geometry at the throat
determines the expansion ratio of the aerospike nozzle and thus the corresponding engine
performance.

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1.Low altitude

2.Design altitude

3.High altitude

Figure 3. Exhaust Flow from a Full and Truncated Spike

At the design altitude of the nozzle, the exhaust flow at the chamber exit lip will follow a parallel path
to the centreline to the exit plane. Therefore, the expansion ratio for a full-length spike at design
altitude is equivalent to the chamber exit lip area divided by the throat area. As the ambient pressure
decreases, the hot gas/ambient air boundary expands outward changing the pressure distribution along
the spike; as a result, the expansion ratio increases. As the ambient pressure increases (low altitudes),
the higher ambient pressure compresses the hot gas/ambient air boundary closer to the spike resulting
in an expansion ratio decrease. The pressure distribution change along the spike and the location of the
hot gas/ambient air boundary is automatic thus permitting altitude compensation up to the design
altitude of the nozzle. Above the design altitude of the nozzle, the pressure distribution along the
nozzle wall is constant. The expansion of the flow exiting the combustion chamber is governed by the
Prandtl-Meyer turning angle at the throat.

Figure 4. Exhaust Flow along a Truncated Aerospike Nozzle

According to the aerospike nozzle numerical analyses the results of the altitude compensation
capabilities of an aerospike up to the design altitude are undeniable. Furthermore, the aerospike

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performs worse at high altitudes compared to bell nozzles with equal expansion ratios (exit area
divided by throat area); therefore, to get the benefit of the aerospike, the design pressure ratio and the
expansion ratio should be chosen as high as possible. The design pressure ratio is the ratio of the
chamber pressure to the ambient pressure; ambient pressure is based on the chosen design altitude. If
the spike is truncated, the aerospike advantage at higher altitudes (orbit transfer missions) includes
shortened nozzle length and lower mass as compared to an equivalent performance bell nozzle design
for orbit transfer missions.

1.3.3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Using an Aerospike Nozzle:

The aerospike nozzle has 90% overall better performance than the conventional bell shaped nozzle.
The efficiency at low altitudes is much higher because the atmospheric pressure restricts the expansion
of the exhaust gas. A vehicle using an aerospike nozzle also saves 25-30% more fuel at low altitudes.
At high altitudes, the aerospike nozzle is able to expand the engine exhaust to a larger effective nozzle
area ratio. An aerospike nozzle with an expansion ratio of 200:1 to 300:1 can increase the thrust and
specific impulse by five to six percent. Specific impulse is the total impulse per unit weight of
propellant. As of now, the most widely used nozzle type is the bell-shaped nozzle. It has a high-angled
expansion section, usually 20-50°, right behind the nozzle throat, which is then followed by a gradual
reversal of nozzle contour slope so that the nozzle exit divergence angle is small, usually less than a
ten-degree half angle. The drawback to using this type of nozzle is that its optimum design is for a
specific altitude, and thus is better suited for multi-stage to orbit. The aerospike design is suitable for
Single Stage to Orbit(SSTO)flight. There are rarely some disadvantages on using an aerospike nozzle.

Figure 5. Thrust coefficient between under and over expansion flow conditions
The after body induces heat, and to cool means that the performance reduces along with the pressure
against the nozzle. Another issue is weight, which as previously stated can be resolved through
truncation. During flight a transonic and supersonic regime, generally between Mach 1 and 3, the
slipstream effect reduces the aerospike nozzle's performance due to the external flow over the vehicle
because the plume tends to draw in the air flow and thus alters the aerodynamics at the aft end of the
vehicle. Finally, the performance is more difficult to evaluate because of the complex flow field and
the turbulence involved.

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1.4. Objective
This thesis designs, analyses and optimizes the aerospike nozzle contours using CFD tool
(FLUENT) and the prototype is fabricated from the design and tested in the ISRO (Mahendragiri) lab.
Considering that the rockets are designed for high-altitude applications (since most of its
flight time is at high altitude) and the effects of density changes in the air will be negligible, the
annular nozzle will probably be more appropriate for this application since the automatic altitude
adjustment characteristics of the aerospike nozzle will not be necessary. However, in the interest of
knowledge and the application of the data to future proposals, the aerospike design will be valuable
and advantageous.

2. DESIGN METHODOLOGY

2.1. From Requirements to Preliminary Design:

Since the cold flow is considered, the values of Specific Heat Ratio(γ=1.4), gas constant of
exhaust(R=287) and chamber temperature (Ti=300K) are taken of the values of ideal gas.
For every design there has to be minimum one parameter will be considered constant to determine the
other design parameter values. Here, for the aerospike nozzle design, Mass Flow Rate(2Kg/S) and
Nozzle Pressure Ratio(NPR=20) were considered as constant. Based on the value of Mass flow rate
and ideal gas constant values, other basic design parameters were determined by 2D Isentropic Flow
Equations.

2.1.1. Plug Nozzle Contour Design:

Basic Design Methods:
The design of spike contour of the aerospike nozzle is the most important step in the overall design
of the nozzle, which varies according to the operating conditions and application. However, the design
procedure, including the basic physics behind the spike design remains the same. The design of spike
can be done using the following methods
i. Rao’s method based on calculus of variation
ii. Simple approximate method
iii. B-Spline Method

Simple Approximation Method:

Here, Simple approximation method is chosen to design spike contour. The simple approximate
method assumes a series of centred isentropic expansion waves occurring at cowl lip of the spike
nozzle. Using this method, the annular spike contour for a given pressure ratio, area at throat, and ratio
of specific heats can be determined.

A brief description of this is given below:

The expansion ratio is determined for the corresponding pressure ratio from the relation which
specifies the variation between the two. Since the flow is assuming to be parallel to the nozzle exit the
thruster angle is given by,

Where Me is Mach number at exit and the Prandtl-Meyer function is given by

The Throat area is,

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And exit area of the spike is,

Where re denotes radius of cowl lip and rb denotes radius of base pressure, the chamber pressure F
thrust and Cf the thrust coefficient. Once the expansion ratio is calculated re and rt can be determined
for a fixed At.

The radial co-ordinate of spike nozzle is given by,

The axial co-ordinate is given by,

Where and Mach angle .

The relationship for Mach number and area ratio is that given for isentropic expansion of a one-
dimensional flow through varying area conduit. With the help of a FORTRAN program, the radial and
the axial co-ordinates of the spike contour were found, thus obtaining the perfect shape of the spike
satisfying the given problem statement.

2.2. The FORTRAN Program

Outline of External Expansion Plug Nozzle Design

INPUT:
 Estimate exit Mach number (which can be obtained from isentropic flow tables
based on the expansion ratio of specific heats).
 Expansion ratio.
 Number of contour points
 Gas constant
 Exit temperature
 Atmosphere pressure ratio
 Constant of proportionality in Newton’s second law
 Ratio of specific heats (constant or variables)

OUTPUT:

 Angle between plug axis and sonic line

 Width of throat gap
 Optimum thrust coefficient

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 Mach number distribution

 Co-ordinates of plug contour
 Pressure ratio at each point
 Cumulative vacuum thrust coefficient
 Cumulative specific impulse
 Cumulative vacuum specific impulse

2.2.1. Flow chart of External Expansion Plug Nozzle Design:

C.C. Lee (1963) created and verified the FORTRAN program for external plug nozzle based on the
simple approximation method which is used here.

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Figure 6. FORTRAN Flow chart of External Expansion Plug Nozzle Design

2.3. Governing equations

To simulate gas flow in the primary nozzle and on the outside of the plug, the compressible Reynolds-
averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are employed. The following assumptions are made in the
derivation on the appropriate form of the equations: compressible flow, Newtonian fluid, negligible
gravity effects, no slip condition, 2-dimensionality, no chemical reactions, and thermal equilibrium.
The equations are solved using an implicit, coupled, three-dimensional finite volume method. A
second-order accurate, upwind discretization scheme is used for the convective term and multigrid
scheme is used to accelerate the rate of convergence. Fluent 6.3 is used to perform these calculations.
Considering that the velocity of the flow is in supersonic, inviscid turbulence models are employed.

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The ambient pressure does not affect the flow in the primary nozzle. Therefore, to simplify the
computation, in this study the flow fields over the plug wall are considered as the environment and the
atmospheric boundary condition is given to it throughout the calculation.

3. CFD SETUP AND SOLUTION

The designed aerospike nozzle was analyzed using commercially available CFD software Fluent 6.3.
The modeling of the domain was made using Gambit 2.3 software. It uses Finite volume technique to
solve the Navier Stokes equation. Proper meshing was done to ensure the accuracy of the solution.

3.1. Design Parameters:

The input parameters for the design of the annular aerospike nozzle are,
 Exit Area ratio (Ae/At) = 2.8998
 Exit diameter Re = 18mm

 Chamber Pressure = 20 bar

 Exit Pressure = 1 bar

 Mass Flow Rate = 1.988Kg/Sec

From the given interval of design parameters, some of the values that are used for the design are,
 Length of the nozzle = 60mm

 Thrust = 1.268E3N

 Coefficient of thrust (CF) = 1.446

 Mach No at the end of the ramp = 2.601

3.2. COMPUTATIONAL DOMAIN CREATION (GAMBIT):

The computational domain of the annular Aerospike nozzle modelled in Gambit. Boundary conditions
are imposed in this Computational domain. The distance from the tip of the plug to the end of the
imaginary boundary is 10 and 5 times of the nozzle outer diameter with respect to X and Y axis. The
nozzle geometry and flow is axisymmetric, so upper half of the nozzle only designed for flow analysis
and thus reduce the computational time. The modelled nozzle and the nozzle with the computational
domain is shown below,

Figure 7. Designed aerospike nozzle in GAMBIT.

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Figure 8. Aerospike nozzle design with far field boundary

3.2.1. Grid Generation:

Quad-map meshing element is used to mesh the entire domain. The intensity of the grid is more near
the wall and the regions where the gradients are high. The grid independency study was carried out
and it was found that a minimum of 27000 nodes were needed. The total numbers of nodes on the
domain are 27998 and cells are 27396.

Figure 9. Aerospike nozzle design after mesh

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Figure 10. High density grids on the areas where high flow gradient occurs.

3.3. FLOW PARAMETERS AND TURBULANCE MODEL (FLUENT):

After modelling and meshing the nozzle in GAMBIT 2.3, CFD analysis made by using FLUENT 6.3
to solve the Navier-Stokes Equations. Air is used as the fluid medium. The material property of the
gas is ideal gas. Since, the Mach No > 0.3, The ambient conditions are supposed at the far field
Boundary Conditions.
FLUENT Boundary Conditions used for simulations are given below,
i. Solver = Density based
ii. Space = Axisymmetric

iii. Viscous model = Spalart – Allmaras, RNG k-ε

iv. Operating Pressure = 0 Pa

Boundary conditions
Pressure Inlet

i. Gauge total pressure = 8 bar

ii. Total temperature = 300 K

iii. Direction Specification =Normal to boundary

Pressure Outlet

i. Gauge total pressure = 1 bar

ii. Backflow total temperature =300K
Far Field Conditions
i. Gauge pressure = 1 bar
ii. Mach Number = 0.4

iii. Temperature = 300K

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Solution Control
i. Discretization flow = Second order upwind

ii. Solver parameters = Courant No (3)

3.3.1. Contours of Full Length Nozzle:

Mach Contour

Figure 11. Mach Contour of the Full Length Aerospike Nozzle

Figure 12. Streamlined Mach Contour of the Full Length Aerospike Nozzle

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3.4. Optimization studies

Need of Optimization for Aerospike Nozzle:

The wake formation at the end of the plug is studied. The formation of wake at the surface of the
nozzle may affect the thrust production of the nozzle. To overcome this problem, the various
optimized models of the same aerospike nozzle is designed. Various models were considered &
compared. The Performance of Full length & optimized models were compared.

Nozzle design parameters considered for optimization:

i) Effect of truncation:

10%,20%,40%,60% & the point on the axial length where the Mach No starts to decrease considered
for truncation.
ii) Effect of base bleed:

Base bleed systems combined with the above mentioned truncated models (20%, 40%, 60% &the
point where the Mach No maximum) are considered for optimization.
iii) Effect of thruster Area Ratio:

Current nozzle design has the thruster area ratio(TAR) of 1.2. In order to obtain better performance,
designs having Thruster area ratio of 1.3,1.4 and 1.5 are designed and their analyzed results were taken
for comparison.

3.4.1. Designs of Optimized models:

1. Truncated model:
In the effect of truncation criteria, the truncated models of 10%,20%,40%,60% & the point on the
axial length were the Mach Number starts to decrease are designed and analysed for the same flow
conditions specified above.
The table below shows the highest Mach number attained on truncated models:
Table 1. Optimized Truncated models Mach Number values.

TRUNCATED MACH NO ATTAINED IN S-A MACH NO ATTAINED IN

MODEL TURBULANCE MODEL
ε
K- TURBULANCE MODEL

Full Spike 3.82 ------

10% 3.82 ------

20% 3.56 3.57

40% 3.54 4.47

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60% 3.51 4.46

Truncated at Max 3.52 4.39

Mach number
attained point on the
wall(17.5mm)

2. Base bleed model:

In the truncated model, the formation of wake on the base of the nozzle creates pressure drops which
cause reduction in its thrust producing capability. So, by providing additional flow through the nozzle
to its base will reduce the wake formation. For the additional flow a hole has created in the nozzle’s
solid part from the pressure inlet portion to the base of the nozzle.
The only drawback of this model is it requires excess amount of mass flow rate for base bleed
operation.
The table below shows the highest Mach no attained on truncated models:
Table 2. Optimized Truncated Base bleed models Mach Number values.

TRUNCATED BASE BLEED HOLE MASS FLOW EXCESS % OF MASS

MODEL DIA (mm) DIA (mm) RATE (Kg/S) FLOW RATE FOR
BASE BLEED

20% 3.918 2 1.2699E-3 .6356

40% 9.176 4.588 6.6833E-3 3.345
-3
60% 17.026 8.512 23.004E 11.5135
-3
@ Max Mach no 23.462 8.512 23.004E 11.5135
attained pt.

3. Effect of Thruster Area Ratio:

Current model has the thruster area ratio of 1.2. By increasing the thruster area ratio, nozzle can
produce more thrust. When the Thruster Area Ratio changes, mass flow rate, thrust and Mach No at
the exit of the thruster also changes. These changing values based on the thruster area ratio are
tabulated below,

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Table 3. Optimized Various Aspect ratio models Mach Number Values

MODEL BASED MACH NO AT THRUST (KN) MASS FLOW

ON THRUSTER THE END OF THE RATE
AREA RATIO THRUSTER (Kg/S)

1.1 1.372 1.403 2.02

1.2 1.534 1.268 1.988
1.3 1.659 1.167 1.949
1.4 1.763 1.089 1.915
1.5 1.854 1.027 1.887

3.5. Selection of Optimized model

The three aspects shown below are considered before concluding the optimized model.
• Thrust Production.
• Weight reduction.
• Low Mass Flow Rate increment due to optimization.
Based on the points mentioned above and with reference to the Tables which has analysed results of
the optimized models, the 40% truncated aerospike nozzle and 40% truncated base bleed is chosen to
compare with the Full-length aerospike nozzle.

3.5.1. 40% Truncated Model:

For the 40% length external aerospike nozzles, the outlet boundary of the nozzle was created with one
endpoint having the coordinates of the last point on the full-length nozzle far field contour and the
other endpoint having the x-coordinate of the last point on the 100% length contour and an y-
coordinate equal to the y-coordinate of the expansion point.

Figure 13. Designed 40% truncated aerospike nozzle in GAMBIT

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Figure 14. High density grids on the areas where high flow gradient occurs

Contours of 40% Truncated Nozzle:

Mach Contour

Figure 15. Mach Contour of the 40% Truncated Aerospike Nozzle

Figure 16. Streamlined Mach Contour of the 40% Truncated Aerospike Nozzle.

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r
r throat

Mach
number

Position (m)
Figure 17. Mach Number Vs Ramp wall plot of the 40% Truncated Aerospike Nozzle

3.5.2. 40% Truncated Base Bleed Model:

Since the 40% truncated model is taken as the perfect optimized model, the base bleed model also
designed on the 40% truncated model.

Figure 18. Designed40% truncated base bleed aerospike nozzle in GAMBIT.

Figure 19. High density grids on the areas where high flow gradient occurs

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Contours of 40% Truncated base bleed model:

Mach Contour

Figure 20. Mach Contour of the 40% Truncated base bleed Aerospike Nozzle

Figure 21. Streamlined Mach Contour of the 40% Truncated base bleed Aerospike Nozzle.

r
r throat

Mach
number

Position (m)
Figure 22. Mach No Vs Ramp wall plot of the 40% Truncated base bleed Aerospike Nozzle.

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4. MANUFACTURING

4.1. FABRICATION MATERIAL:

Stainless steel is an iron-containing alloy. It is a substance made up of two or more chemical elements
used in a wide range of applications. It has excellent resistance to stain or rut due to its chromium
content, usually from 12 to 20 percent of the alloy.
Stainless Steel 304 type material is used to fabricate the design because of its properties listed below.

Raw Material:
Stainless steels are made of some of the basic elements found in the earth: iron ore, chromium, silicon,
nickel, carbon, nitrogen, and manganese. Properties of the final alloy are tailored by varying the
amounts of these elements. Nitrogen, for instance, improves tensile properties like ductility. It also
improves corrosion resistance, which makes it valuable for use in duplex stainless steels.

SS304 Notes:
Type 304 stainless steel is a T300 Series Stainless Steel austenitic. It has a minimum of 18%
chromium and 8% nickel, combined with a maximum of 0.08% carbon.
It is defined as a Chromium-Nickel austenitic alloy.
These are some of its characteristics:
- Forming and welding properties
- Corrosion/ oxidation resistance thanks to the chromium content
- Deep drawing quality
- Excellent toughness, even down to cryogenic temperatures which are defined as very low
temperatures.
- Low temperature properties responding well to hardening by cold working. - Ease of cleaning, ease
of fabrication, beauty of appearance

Applications:
- Architectural panelling, railings & trim
- Chemical containers, including for transport
- Heat Exchangers
- Woven or welded screens for mining, quarrying & water filtration
- Dyeing industry
- In the marine environment, because of it slightly higher strength and wear resistance than type 316
it is also used for nuts, bolts, screws, and other fasteners.

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Properties Value
Density 8.03 g/cc
Tensile Strength, Ultimate 621 MPa (=90100psi)
Tensile Strength, Yield 290 MPa (=42100psi)
Elongation at Break 55%
Modulus of Elasticity 193 GPa
Modulus of Elasticity 78 GPa
Melt temperature 1371- 1399 °C

4.2. MANUFACTURING PROCESS:

The whole design of the full length aerospike nozzle was drawn by using CATIA v5 software and the
machine draft design chart was prepared by using AutoCAD 2009.

The complete Assembly Model of the aerospike nozzle was shown below,

Figure 23. Assembly design of Aerospike nozzle.

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1. Spike:

Figure 24. Design parameters of Spike

• The Spike part of the nozzle was created using CNC machine by installing the machine
coding which includes coordinates of the spike.
• Additional length of 10mm of 12.75mm (1/2”) dia was given for the model to fix with the
plate. Clockwise male tapper threading was given on its surface.
• To create the spike 100X40mm piece of SS304 metal was taken.
2. Plate
• The important part of the nozzle is the plate; it is used to hold the spike.
• Clockwise female tap thread was created inside the centre hole.
• similar size 100 degree holes with the outer dia of 35mm. The holes allowed the air to enter
the nozzle inlet.
• Hot wire cutting method is used to cut the metal for inlet holes.

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Figure 25. Design parameters of Plate

3. Cowl and plate

• Initially the cowl was created using CNC machine in order to create the cowl lip arc.
• The disc with the fitting holes created as shown in fig.
• Finally, the cowl is forged with the plate.

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Figure 26. Design parameters of Cowl

4. Flange:
• 1inch 300# flange: The flange is readily available in all classes. Based on the size of the inlet
valve of the wind tunnel and the nozzle operating pressure 300# (class) flange is used here.
Since the flange has lesser Outer Dia (34.5mm) than the wind tunnel pressure inlet valve dia
(38.4mm). The excess material will be removed from the flange.

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Figure 27. Design parameters of flange

5. TESTING OF PROTOTYPE

The fabricated prototype was tested in the pressure wind tunnel and the results were taken out for
comparison.

5.1. Wind Tunnel Configuration:

Operating Parameters Value

Air storage capacity 8000 cubic feet

Max. Storage Pressure 100 Psi

Air Compression Rate 16 to 18lb/sec

Run time 15 to 80 sec

Nozzle 5 feet long

No. of adjustable jacks 12

Mach Number Range Transonic .3 to 1.8

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Supersonic 1.6 to 4.8

Dynamic Pressure Range 150 to 5000 PSF

5.2. Testing

Figure 28. Pressure tap positioning.

Since it is a small model there are some difficulties on the insertion of the pressure taps. The removal
of material inside the spike with the prescribed thickness became tough and the size of the taps
available at the labs are 2mm so the number of taps were decreased into three.
1. At the beginning of the spike to measure the pressure at the combustion chamber (here from the
pressure tunnel).
2. At the point of 40% of the ramp curve axis length (35.1402mm from throat).
3. Near the end of the spike (the point where the wake started in the computational analysis).
Due to some restrictions the images of fabricated model testing cannot be shown. But the results
taken from the experiments were allowed to use and it is used to compare the results taken from
the computational methods.

6. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Numerical modelling and analysis of internal and external flow of different aerospike nozzle shapes
introduced in previous sections are described here. The objective of the analysis is to verify the
prescribed exit flow properties of the nozzle design and compare the flow parameters between the
nozzle designs.

6.1. Mach Number Plots:

Figure 29 shows typical Mach No plots of Experimental result of the full spike model and FLUENT
generated graphs of 100% and 40% truncated and 40% base bleed aerospike nozzles designed for an
exit Mach number of 2.601.

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40% Base bleed

Full Spike
40% Truncated

Figure 29. Mach No Vs Position of the ramp contour of the Full length & optimized nozzle models.

The maximum Mach number attained of full length aerospike nozzle is 3.82 and 40% truncated
aerospike nozzle exit Mach number is 3.54 and the 40% truncated base bleed aerospike nozzle exit
Mach number is 4.47.
Although agreement between desired exit Mach number and simulated exit Mach number are below
expectations, it is evident that the code is still relatively valid and that adjustment and refinement is
needed to more accurately design an aerospike contour for a desired exit Mach number.

6.2. Contours of pressure:

6.2.1. Dynamic Pressure contours:

40% Base bleed

Full Spike
40% Truncated

Figure 30. Dynamic Pressure Vs Position of the ramp contour of the Full length, 40% truncated
& 40% truncated aerospike nozzle with base bleed.

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Figure 30 shows the dynamic pressure variation throughout the nozzle. It seems that the dynamic
pressure over the ramp up to truncated portion is having same value. The sudden decrement in
dynamic pressure in 40% nozzle is due to the wake formation on the base and it was rectified by the
40% base bleed model.

7. Conclusion
The procedure to design an aerospike nozzle and design parameters that governs the aerospike nozzle
design is discussed here. The designed value of the exit velocity (Mach No 2.5) is achieved with only
2.3% of error. The exit velocity of the air from FLUENT calculation is 2.44.
A comparison between the results of experimental and computational analysis of aerospike nozzle
and also the performance of a full-length aerospike nozzle, a nozzle truncated at 60% of the full
nozzle length& the same with the base bleed effect were done. For a single flow and boundary
condition, the maximum Mach No attained at the end of the 40% truncated & Base bleed spike nozzle
is 3.54 & 4.47 respectively.
i) The 60% truncated nozzle produces only a 10.8% lesser thrust than the full-length nozzle. But it
reduces nearly 23% of the weight of the full-length nozzle. The performance of the truncated
nozzle will be more effective at higher altitudes. Since, the length of the nozzle is very less than the
full-length nozzle, it produces considerable amount of performance. These findings are important
when it comes to designing air and spacecraft since a nozzle with a lighter weight and equal
performance is more attractive than a heavier nozzle.
ii) On the other side, the 40% truncated base bleed produces 14.35% more thrust than the full-length
nozzle and it also reduces around 29% of the weight of the full-length nozzle.
But the only constraints of the base bleeding models are its additional mass flow rate. These nozzles
need more mass flow rate for their base bleed flow (shown in table 4.2). We can use the base bleed
models for high speed rocket engine applications. The diameter of the base bleed model can be
modified based on the speed requirement. The diameter changes can be done only in ascending order.
Experiments can be done for the optimization models and compared with the FLUENT results.

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References

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[2] Lee, C. C., “Computation of plug nozzle contours by the Rao’s optimum thrust method”, NASA
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[8] Takeo Tomita., Nobuhiko Kumada and Akira Ogawara (2010), ‘A conceptual system design
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7060,2010.
[9] Johnson G.R., Doyle Thompson H. and Hoffman J.D (1974), ‘Design of maximum thrust plug
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[10] Korte J.J. (2000), ‘Parametric model of an aerospike rocket engine’, AIAA paper 2000-1044,
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[11] He Miaosheng, Qin Lizi, Liu Yu (2015), ‘Numerical investigation of flow seperation behavior
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[12] Johnson G.R., Doyle Thompson H. and Hoffman J.D (1974), ‘Design of maximum thrust plug
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[13] Korte J.J. (2000), ‘Parametric model of an aerospike rocket engine’, AIAA paper 2000-1044,
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