Abstract
Single Stage To Orbit (SSTO) missions which require its engines to be operated at varying back pressure conditions, use engines operate at high combustion chamber pressures (more than 100bar) with moderate area ratios (AR 70~80). This ensures that the exhaust jet flows full during most part of the operational regimes by optimal expansion at each altitude. Aero-spike nozzle is a kind of altitude adaptation nozzle where requirement of high combustion chamber pressures can be avoided as the flow is adapted to the outside conditions by the virtue of the nozzle configuration. However, the thrust prediction using the conventional thrust equations remains to be a challenge as the nozzle plume shapes vary with the back pressure conditions. In the present work, the performance evaluation of a new aero-spike nozzle is being carried out. Computational studies are carried out to predict the thrust generated by the aero-spike nozzle in varying back pressure conditions which requires the unsteady pressure boundary conditions in the computational domain. Schlieren pictures are taken to validate the computational results. It is found that the flow in the aero-spike nozzle is mainly affected by the base wall pressure variation. The aerospike nozzle exhibits maximum performance in the properly expanded flow regime due to the open wake formation.
