Numerical study of low pressure nuclear thermal rockets

Conference · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992

OSTI ID:6909217

Kim, S C; Stubbs, R M ^[1]

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1. Sverdrup Technology, Inc., Brook Park, OH (United States) NASA, Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH (United States)

The flowfields and performance of low pressure nuclear thermal rockets, which use hydrogen as a propellant, are studied by solving the Navier-Stokes equations and the species equations. A finite-rate chemistry model is used in the species equations, and the turbulence is simulated by the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model with a modified van Driest's damping constant. The calculated results for the chamber temperatures of 3200 K and 4000 K with a chamber pressure range of 0.1 atm to 6 atm are presented as contours, centerline variations, and exit profiles. The performance values from the present calculations, such as the vacuum specific impulse and thrust, are compared with those from the 1D, inviscid equilibrium and frozen flow code. 14 refs.

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (United States). Lewis Research Center
• OSTI ID: 6909217
• Report Number(s): AIAA-Paper--92-3815; CONF-920747--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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CHEMISTRY
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELEMENTS
EQUATIONS
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HYDROGEN
KINETICS
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REACTOR KINETICS
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TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TURBULENCE