Effect of Isogrid-Type Obstructions on Thermal Stratification in Upper-Stage Rocket Propellant Tanks

Autor: Justin Oliveira, Sunil Chintalapati, Hector Gutierrez, Daniel Kirk, Joel M. Faure
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. 51:1587-1602
ISSN: 1533-6794
0022-4650
Popis: Analytical models for propellant thermal stratification are typically based on smooth wall flow correlations. However, many propellant tank walls have a mass-saving isogrid, which alters the boundary layer. This work investigates the boundary-layer behavior over walls with obstruction elements that are representative of isogrid or internal stiffener rings. The experimental studies reveal that the thickness of the velocity boundary layer over an isogrid wall is more than 200% thicker than a smooth wall at full-scale upper-stage tank Reynolds numbers. For buoyancy-induced free convection flows, the computational-fluid-dynamics models demonstrate that the velocity boundary layer over a wall lined with obstruction elements may be thicker or thinner than the equivalent boundary layer over a smooth wall, whereas the thermal boundary layer is always thicker for the rough wall. A Rayleigh number scaling analysis is presented for a range of fluids, tank and obstruction sizes, heat loads, and acceleration levels. W...
Databáze: OpenAIRE