Coupled Flow-Thermal Analysis of a Rocket Nozzle with Charring Ablative Thermal Protection System

TL;DR

This study develops a coupled flow-thermal analysis method to predict the thermal response and ablation behavior of rocket nozzles with charring ablative TPS, providing insights for design optimization in extreme conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a coupled CFD and material response simulation framework for analyzing charring ablative TPS in rocket nozzles, which is novel in integrating transient thermal and flow effects.

Findings

The nozzle throat experiences the highest convective heat load.

Maximum surface recession at the throat is approximately 2.5 mm after 120 seconds.

The thermal response shows an initial peak in heat flux followed by transient variations.

Abstract

This paper presents a conjugate flow-thermal analysis of a rocket nozzle protected by a charring ablative thermal protection system (TPS). The study employs a coupled approach, integrating a CFD solver with an in-house transient material response code through the exchange of boundary conditions at the fluid-solid interface. The nozzle incorporates an AVCOAT TPS and is subjected to high-temperature compressible flow. Results identify the nozzle throat as the critical location, exhibiting the highest convective loading, early attainment of the material ablation temperature, and progressive surface recession. Temporal analysis of the coupled simulations reveals an initial peak in wall heat flux followed by a transient reduction and a subsequent resurgence as viscous dissipation and evolving surface conditions modify the near-wall thermal field. At 120 s of simulated operation, the maximum surface recession at the throat is approximately 2.5 mm. This research provides a methodology for predicting the thermal and ablative response of rocket nozzles equipped with charring TPS materials. The proposed framework offers valuable insights into the design and optimization of high-performance nozzles for extreme environments.