Research Summaries

Back Prediction and Measurement of Carbon Build-up in Film Cooled Rocket Engines-Phase II

Fiscal Year 2017
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Investigator(s) Brophy, Christopher M.
Sponsor Sierra Engineering, Inc. (Other)
Summary The use of a fuel-rich layer near the walls of liquid rocket engines has historically been used on numerous designs to cool the outer combustion chamber walls and often results in a high level of carbon deposition when kerosene-like fuels are utilized for this purpose. This effort aims to understand what type of carbon-based precipitation is deposited and how it affects the material properties (and associated heat transfer properties) of the combustion chamber walls. The research will benefit the Navy by improving the capability to model current rocket engine systems for both performance and failure analysis/prediction.
SIERRA has a long history of working in this area and this effort with further improve their understanding of the associated physics of this process and how it can impact future rocket engine designs. NPS will conduct experimental testing to generate data on soot build-up mechanics in an oxygen-kerosene fueled, kerosene film cooling rocket engine. The engine will be operated at chamber pressures of 500, 750, and 1000 psi. Each test chamber pressure will assess up to 3 different fuel-film coolant ratios. NPS researchers will use advanced electron microscopy analysis techniques to evaluate surface deposits and postulate formation mechanism. During Phase I effort executed under NCRADA-NPS–15–0211, researchers performed proof-of-concept experiments that demonstrated the feasibility of a model validation method based on measurements of carbon deposition and the physical variables that control the deposition.
As the collaborative effort moves into Phase II of the project, NPS and SIERRA researchers intend to develop and validate a physics-based model suitable for COTS/research CFD software for the prediction of the formation of soot and carbon wall deposits in kerosene film-cooled rocket engines. In addition, researchers will focus on developing a technique for in-situ measurement of carbon deposition and determination of the physical variables that control the deposition for use in formulating and validating models. CRADA deliverables will include the software models and the validation data.
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Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal