Designing jet deflector configuration for a semi-cryogenic rocket engine

This study deals with the design of a suitable configuration of jet deflector for supersonic exhaust gases from a semi-cryogenic launch vehicle engine using computational fluid dynamics. Computational model of combustion in semi-cryogenic engine, with kerosene as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer, was developed in which exhaust gases from engine were impinged on the deflector surface. Different design configurations of deflector structure, obtained by the combination of various impingement angles of 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, and 45°, and different exit radii of 5000, 10 000, and 20 000 mm, were used in the developed computational models to analyze impingement, deflection, and associated flow properties of exhaust gases, such as acoustics, force on deflector imparted by jet, temperature, and Mach number of flow field. A new ablation model was developed based on Vieille's law to determine the amount of refractory material ablated from deflector structure for different configurations. The developed models of ablation, combustion, and flow impingement were also validated with existing literature. It was found that the configuration with 20° impingement angle and 10 000 mm exit radius had ablation, acoustics, force, and flow properties in desired limit. Furthermore, to find the optimum uplift angle for designing jet deflector, configurations with uplift angles of 0°, 5°, 15°, and 25° were studied using the computational models developed in the study. It was observed that the configuration with 20° impingement angle, 10 000 mm exit radius, and 15° uplift angle was best suited for impingement and deflection of exhaust jet from the specified semi-cryogenic engine.