Numerical investigations in three-dimensional internal flows

Renewed interest in simulation of high enthalpy flows was brought about by interest in the design and testing of hypersonic propulsion components. This renewed interest has led to refurbishment of high speed ground based wind tunnel facilities. Simulation of the high enthalpy flows occurring in the NASP propulsion system is of particular interest. Studying the combustor presentes some of the more challenging problems in the ground based simulation of the fluid flow. A difficulty in simulating the required conditions at the entrance to the combustor is related to achieveing a sufficiently high static pressure such that combustion would be possible at a high Mach number. An analysis of the flow within the original nozzle was not performed previously using numerical simulations, although it was operated experimentally. A Navier-Stokes code was chosen in the present study to examine analytically the flow within representative selected nozzles for use in combustion experiments. The numerical simulation of these fluid flows is popular and may be able to shed light on the direction that redesign of the shock tube nozzles should take. The numerical codes were modified to account for the axially symmetric flow field, for the inclusion of equilibrium real gas effects and for ideal gases whose thermodynamic properties are frozen at the stagnation conditions. Numerical simulation of flows within the original and two proposed nozzles, including the energy lost to the relatively cold walls, are investigated.