The specific impulse of solid rocket motors is much lower than that of liquid rocket motors due to limitations in solid propellant formulations. Inspired by the nuclear thermal rockets, the concept of helium injected solid–gas hybrid rocket motors (SGHRMs) is innovatively proposed and its thrust performance is numerically investigated in the present study. The injected helium is regarded as a working medium with strong expansion capacity, and the high-temperature combustion gas of the solid propellant is used as a heat source to heat the helium. Then, the mixed gas including the combustion gas and helium flows through the nozzle producing high boost thrust. Results show that the maximum specific impulse gain is up to 4.92%, and by adjusting the helium injection ratio from 0 to 2:1, the thrust regulation range of 100%–303% is achieved. When the helium is injected from the motor head, mixed gas with various helium fraction exhibits stratified flow characteristics. Hence, the mechanism of specific impulse gain can be elucidated by one-dimensional internal ballistics analysis. That is, mixed gas with a low helium mass fraction can significantly stimulate velocity gain with a slight reduction in total temperature, thereby increasing the specific impulse. However, mixed gas with a high helium mass fraction significantly reduces the total temperature, leading to a decreased expansion ability and a corresponding drop in the specific impulse. Finally, competition between mixed gases with various helium fractions determines the specific impulse gain level of SGHRMs.
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September 2024
Research Article|
September 20 2024
Numerical investigation on thrust gain mechanism of helium injected solid–gas hybrid rocket motor
Chengke Li (李程珂)
;
Chengke Li (李程珂)
(Software, Writing – original draft)
College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University
, 145 Nantong Avenue, Harbin 150001, China
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Ge Wang (王革)
;
Ge Wang (王革)
(Validation)
College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University
, 145 Nantong Avenue, Harbin 150001, China
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Hao Wang (王豪)
;
Hao Wang (王豪)
(Data curation)
College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University
, 145 Nantong Avenue, Harbin 150001, China
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Weijie Zhang (张伟杰)
;
Weijie Zhang (张伟杰)
(Formal analysis, Investigation)
College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University
, 145 Nantong Avenue, Harbin 150001, China
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Ben Guan (关奔)
;
Ben Guan (关奔)
(Funding acquisition, Resources)
College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University
, 145 Nantong Avenue, Harbin 150001, China
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Haiwei Yang (杨海威)
;
Haiwei Yang (杨海威)
(Project administration, Supervision)
College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University
, 145 Nantong Avenue, Harbin 150001, China
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Zenan Yang (杨泽南)
Zenan Yang (杨泽南)
a)
(Conceptualization, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing)
College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University
, 145 Nantong Avenue, Harbin 150001, China
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Harbin Engineering University
, 145 Nantong Avenue, Harbin 150001, China
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Physics of Fluids 36, 096121 (2024)
Article history
Received:
July 24 2024
Accepted:
August 29 2024
Citation
Chengke Li, Ge Wang, Hao Wang, Weijie Zhang, Ben Guan, Haiwei Yang, Zenan Yang; Numerical investigation on thrust gain mechanism of helium injected solid–gas hybrid rocket motor. Physics of Fluids 1 September 2024; 36 (9): 096121. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0230517
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