Analysis of plume backflow around a nozzle lip in a nuclear rocket
The structure of the flow around a nuclear thermal rocket nozzle lip has been investigated using the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. Special attention has been paid to the behavior of a small amount of harmful particles that may be present in the rocket exhaust gas. The harmful fission product particles are modeled by four inert gases whose molecular weights are in a range of 4 131. Atomic hydrogen, which exists in the flow due to the extremely high nuclear fuel temperature in the reactor, is also included. It is shown that the plume backflow is primarily determined by the thin subsonic fluid layer adjacent to the surface of the nozzle lip, and that the inflow boundary in the plume region has negligible effect on the backflow. It is also shown that a relatively large amount of the lighter species is scattered into the backflow region while the amount of the heavier species becomes negligible in this region due to extreme separation between the species. Results indicate that the backscattered molecules are very energetic and are fast-moving along the surface in the backflow region near the nozzle lip. 22 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 5686671
- Report Number(s):
- AIAA-Paper-93-2497; CONF-930633-; CNN: NCC3-171; NAS3-25266
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Joint AIAA/SAE/ASME propulsion conference, Monterey, CA (United States), 28-30 Jun 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
GAS FLOW
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
NOZZLES
PROPULSION REACTORS
EXHAUST GASES
FISSION PRODUCTS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
ROCKET ENGINES
CALCULATION METHODS
ENGINES
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
REACTORS
SIMULATION
WASTES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable
420400 - Engineering- Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow