Low thrust viscous nozzle flow field predictions

Abstract

The low thrust viscous nozzle flows have been studied numerically by using the steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations in conservative form. A new Lower-Upper factorization scheme in the axisymmetric coordinate system has been developed and is analyzed in this paper. This new Navier-Stokes solver has shown that the numerical analog is accurate and stable for the convergent and divergent nozzle flowfield calculation. The range of the chamber pressure is (1.85-29.4)psi with the chamber temperature equal to 600 F. The results are compared with the data collected in the NASA/MSFC vacuum chamber, and they are in very reasonable agreement.