Flow and Heat Transfer in Solid Rocket Motors
A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 228
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Due to various advantages, such as their inherent simplicity, high reliability, and quick responses, solid rocket motors (SRMs) play an important role in space launch vehicles. As their performance can be enhanced through the fundamental mechanisms of their complex flow and heat transfer physics, there is growing interest in the issues encountered in these areas.
Indeed, an understanding of complex flow and heat transfer mechanisms, multiphase flow dynamics, and the ablation mechanism of the adiabatic layer are all technical challenges still to be faced in advanced SRM design. Building on this vision, this Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the most recent advances in the field of the flow and heat transfer of SRMs. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, complex flow and heat transfer, ablation mechanisms, multiphase flow modeling, metal droplet behavior, the prediction of SRM performance, the design of combustion chambers and nozzles, and combustion modeling.
Prof. Dr. Yang Liu
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- solid rocket motor
- complex flow and heat transfer
- ablation mechanism
- insulator
- multiphase flow modeling
- metal droplet behavior
- design of combustion chamber and nozzle
- combustion modeling
- prediction of performance
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Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Comprehensive Numerical Analysis of Mixing Characteristics in a Scramjet Combustor Utilizing Multi-Pylon Configurations
Authors: Xuefeng Xia; Zhensheng Sun; Yingyang Wang; Yu Hu; Hongfu Qiang; Yujie Zhu; Yin Zhang
Affiliation: Xi’an research institute of High-tech, Xi’an 710025, China
Abstract: The pylon has been identified as a highly promising method for enhancing mixing efficiency in scramjet combustors. This work systematically assessed the impact of spanwise, streamwise, and oblique multi-pylon combinations in a supersonic cold flow through numerical simulations, employing pylon-aided ethylene fuel injection under low dynamic pressure conditions. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the SST k-ω turbulence model is applied during the simulation. Numerical results reveal that, in comparison to the streamwise combination, the spanwise combination exhibits superior flow field characteristics in terms of mixing efficiency, penetration depth, and total pressure loss. For a given injection condition, an optimal distance between pylons exists in the spanwise combination, with the angle between two pylons having minimal influence on mixing efficiency. The oblique multi-pylon combination yields poorer mixing enhancement efficiency and fuel penetration but incurs less total pressure loss in the near field when compared to the spanwise combination. Additionally, the oblique multi-pylon combination demonstrates enhanced mixing efficiency further downstream of the injector than the spanwise combination. This investigation into fuel injection schemes based on multi-pylon combinations offers valuable insights for the structural design of scramjet engines.
Title: Numerical Investigation on Two-Phase Flow Characteristics of an Axisymmetric Bypass Dual Throat Nozzle
Authors: Xuefeng Xia; Zhensheng Sun; Yu Hu; Hongfu Qiang; Yujie Zhu; Yin Zhang
Affiliation: Xi’an research institute of High-tech, Xi’an 710025, China
Abstract: The bypass dual throat nozzle is based on the dual throat nozzle, which is a fluidic thrust vector nozzle suitable for integration into rocket motor in a symmetrical manner. As the effects of gas–solid two-phase flows is essential for solid rocket motors, this study employs the renormalization group RNG k–ε turbulence model and a particle trajectory model to numerically simulate the three-dimensional flow field inside a fixed-geometry axisymmetric bypass dual throat nozzle, to investigate its two-phase flow characteristics and thrust vectoring performance. Numerical results reveal that the smaller-diameter particles exhibit better flow-following characteristics and have a more significant impact on nozzle performance. As particle size increases, particle trajectories gradually rise within the cavity and converge toward the nozzle axis until a critical value is exceeded, after which the distribution tends to disperse. Particle deposition occurs at the bends of the bypass channel, the upstream converging section of the nozzle, and the converging section of the cavity, underscoring the need for reinforced geometric design and thermal protection. In addition, the introduction of the particle phase into the flow reduces the thrust-vectoring angle of the nozzle and results in a loss of thrust coefficient. This research has the potential to guide the design of engines according to the incorporation of metal powder in propellants and combustion control.
