Software for Simulation of 3D, Three-Phase Combusting Flow

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code has been developed to enable simulation of spray combustion near the fuel injectors in a liquid-fueled rocket engine. This code reflects the three-dimensional (3D), multiphase nature of the flow field in a rocket engine and is capable of modeling even a flow field as complex as one that results from the use of impingement injectors. Unlike prior spray-combustion codes that emphasize physical constraints at the expense of geometric ones, this code implements a compromise between physical and geometric constraints in order to enable analysis and comparison of the performances of alternative engine designs that involve different injector geometries. In particular, this code was constructed to enable prediction of the interactive effects of injector-element impingement angles and impingement points, momenta of individual orifice flows, and the resulting combusting flow.