Parametric investigations of flows in micronozzles

Abstract

The work is devoted to parametric investigations of the krypton flow in a conical micronozzle when flowing into a region with low pressure. The features of the flows are studied at various values of the stagnation pressure in the pre-nozzle volume, including the occurrence of a condensed phase in the flow. Mathematical modeling was carried out on the basis of a numerical solution of the complete system of Navier-Stokes equations, supplemented by the equation for the mass fraction of the condensate. The mathematical model takes into account the change in the coefficients of dynamic viscosity and thermal conductivity depending on the gas temperature. The problem was solved by the control volume method on a block-structured regular grid of quadrangular elements using schemes of the second order of accuracy. The equations were integrated with respect to time using the Runge-Kutta method. The calculations were carried out at stagnation pressures of 5, 10, and 15 atm for single-phase and two-phase flows. The distribution fields of temperature and Mach number in the nozzle and in the space behind it are presented. The axial distribution of pressure, temperature, and Mach number has been studied. It is shown that in the case of a single-phase flow, self-similarity of gas flows is observed. The pressure fields were similar, but in a dimensionless form they coincided to each other. In this case, the identity of the velocity and temperature fields was observed at different values of the stagnation pressure. The self-similarity of the flow is violated in the zone of formation of condensed particles. The dimensions of the zones of local temperature increase, as well as the intensity of heat release, depend on the given stagnation pressure, which is reflected in the velocity characteristics of the flow.