Open Access

ARTICLE

A Numerical Study of Fluid Velocity and Temperature Distribution in Regenerative Cooling Channels for Liquid Rocket Engines

Liang Yin^1,*, Huanqi Zhang², Jie Ding¹, Mehdi Khan¹

1 College of Mechanical Engineering, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde, 415000, China
2 College of Furong, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde, 415000, China

* Corresponding Author: Liang Yin. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2025, 21(8), 1861-1873. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2025.064187

Received 07 February 2025; Accepted 30 April 2025; Issue published 12 September 2025

Abstract

In liquid rocket engines, regenerative cooling technology is essential for preserving structural integrity under extreme thermal loads. However, non-uniform coolant flow distribution within the cooling channels often leads to localized overheating, posing serious risks to engine reliability and operational lifespan. This study employs a three-dimensional fluid–thermal coupled numerical model to systematically investigate the influence of geometric parameters—specifically the number of inlets, the number of channels, and inlet manifold configurations—on flow uniformity and thermal distribution in non-pyrolysis zones. Key findings reveal that increasing the number of inlets from one to three significantly enhances flow uniformity, reducing mass flow rate deviation from 1.2% to below 0.3%. However, further increasing the inlets to five yields only marginal improvements (<0.1%), indicating diminishing returns beyond three inlets. Additionally, temperature non-uniformity at the combustion chamber throat decreases by 37%—from 3050 K with 18 channels to 1915 K with 30 channels—highlighting the critical role of channel density in effective thermal regulation. Notably, while higher channel counts improve cooling efficiency, they also result in increased pressure losses of approximately 18%–22%, emphasizing the need to balance thermal performance against hydraulic resistance. An optimal configuration comprising 24 channels and three inlets was identified, providing minimal temperature gradients while maintaining acceptable pressure losses. The inlet manifold structure also plays a pivotal role in determining flow distribution. Configuration 3 (Config-3), which features an enlarged manifold and reduced inlet velocity, achieves a 40% reduction in velocity fluctuations compared to Configuration 1 (Config-1). This improvement leads to a more uniform mass flow distribution, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 0.15%. Furthermore, this design effectively mitigates localized hot spots near the nozzle—where temperature gradients are most severe—achieving a reduction of approximately 1135 K.

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Keywords

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