Abstract:

The active regenerative cooling system of the rocket engine is studied, and a method is developed to give an accurate estimation of thermophysical properties. A numerical investigation of convective heat transfer of cryogenic-propellant methane in horizontal corrugated tubes at supercritical pressures is conducted. The heat transfer enhancement mechanism of corrugated tubes is analyzed. The effects of several key influential parameters on both heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop are investigated, including the pitch-to-height ratio, wall thermal conductivity, wall heat flux, inlet pressure, and Reynolds number. The performance evaluation criteria are adopted to evaluate the thermal performance influenced by these parameters. Results reveal that reasonable corrugated tubes can significantly improve the heat transfer ability without causing significant pressure drop at supercritical pressures, which is beneficial to the elimination of heat transfer deterioration. There exist an optimum corrugation height and Reynolds number for achieving the best overall thermal performance. Increase of wall thermal conductivity and inlet pressure can improve the heat transfer ability.

Key words: supercritical pressure, cryogenic-propellant methane, corrugated tube, heat transfer enhancement, active regenerative cooling

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