Effects of wavy surface roughness on the performance of micronozzles
article
Recent trends in small-scale (~1 dm<sup>3</sup>) satellites motivate the further development of microscale propulsion subsystems. In the present paper, we focus on flow dynamics simulations of conical convergent-divergent micronozzles and on the increased importance of wall effects due to the decrease in the characteristic length of such small systems. The inefficiency associated with viscous losses due to the developing boundary layer and the effect of sinusoidal surface roughness due to the employed microelectromechanical-system fabrication techniques are studied through computational fluid dynamics simulations for nonturbulent, nonrarefied flow conditions. Depending on the specific nature of the surface roughness, the formation and reflection of several weak shocks and, as a consequence, a decreased performance are observed. © 2010 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.
Topics
Characteristic lengthComputational fluid dynamics simulationsFabrication techniqueFlow conditionFurther developmentMicro nozzleMicro-scalesMicroelectromechanical systemsOn flowPropulsion subsystemsRecent trendsSinusoidal surfacesSmall systemsSpecific natureViscous lossWall effectsWavy surfaceComputational fluid dynamicsMetal analysisSurface roughnessSurface properties
TNO Identifier
408464
ISSN
0748-4658
Source
Journal of Propulsion and Power, 26(4), pp. 655-662.
Pages
655-662
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