Transcritical Behavior of Methane in the Cooling Jacket of a Liquid-Oxygen/Liquid-Methane Rocket-Engine Demonstrator

The successful design of a liquid rocket engine is strictly linked to the development efficient cooling systems, able dissipate huge thermal loads coming from combustion in thrust chamber. Generally, architectures are based on regenerative strategies, adopting fuels as coolants; and jackets, including several narrow axial channels allocated around chambers. Moreover, since cryogenic used, case oxygen/methane-based engines, refrigerant injected phase at supercritical pressure conditions heated by load chamber, which tends experience transcritical until behaving vapor before exiting jacket. comprehension fluid behavior inside jackets liquid-oxygen/methane engines function different operative represents not only current topic but critical issue for future propulsion systems. Hence, manuscript discusses results concerning jacket equipping liquid-oxygen/liquid-methane demonstrator, designed manufactured within scope HYPROB-NEW Italian Project. In particular, numerical considering nominal operating influence variables, such inlet temperature values well mass-flow rate, shown discuss give indications methodologies, supporting rocket-engine Validation has been accomplished means experimental obtained through specific test article, provided with channel, characterized dimensions representative HYPROB DEMO-0A