Thermo-Structural analysis of rocket engine thrust chamber

Abstract

The rocket engine market today presents several new trends that will substantially change the current technological scenario. Apart from the imminent applications to the mega constellations and the advancement of electric propulsion, some aspects such as environmental protection require a conceptual redefinition of rocket propulsion systems with chemical propellants. One of the best technological options to contribute to the protection of the environment and personnel is to use "green" propellants to replace current toxic and / or ecologically harmful propellants. Thermal and mechanical loads represent the most stringent operating limits for liquid propellant rocket combustion devices (chamber, injectors, expansion nozzle). This report describes the two-dimensional model developed for the evaluation of the temperature distribution across the wall of the thrust chamber and the extension of a typical rocket motor. In the model the thrust chamber and the nozzle extension are divided into several stations using ANSYS APDL 16.0 and are subjected to a steady state and a transient analysis to study the characteristics of heat transfer and to understand the thermal response and structural of the model. The results obtained help to study the thermo-structural feasibility and to identify the most critical operating conditions and their impact on the design of the combustion devices of rocket engines with chemical propellants. The analysis developed in this paper includes the selection of the most suitable materials and the subsequent modeling of the rocket thrust chamber and the nozzle extension using the ANSYS APDL 16.0 software and the SolidWorks software. Loads and constraints on the structure are applied after the combination of the thermal and structural models.