https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01881-9
Regular Article
Large eddy simulation to investigate open/close-end swirl coaxial injector dynamics for a LOx-methane rocket engine
1
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, 695547, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
2
Liquid Propulsion Systems Center, Indian Space Research Organization, 695547, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
3
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Street, 208016, Kanpur, UP, India
Received:
23
May
2025
Accepted:
23
August
2025
Published online:
2
September
2025
This study conducts a comparative analysis of the dynamic behavior of open-end and close-end swirl injectors in LOx-CH
rocket engines. A high-fidelity Large Eddy Simulation (LES) framework is utilized to model transcritical injection and supercritical combustion phenomena. To ensure accurate prediction of flow physics, the methodology integrates the Soave–Redlich–Kwong (SRK) real-gas equation of state with the Flamelet Generated Manifold (FGM) combustion model. The investigation encompasses a complete injector-manifold and open-combustor domain, enabling detailed examination of the distinct feedback and coupling mechanisms inherent to each injector design. Results show that the close-end injector offers superior performance, featuring a well-defined gaseous core in the LOx annulus and enhanced tangential and axial momentum, which contribute to improved mixing and combustion efficiency. Furthermore, the close-end configuration exhibits significantly greater stability, marked by low peak-to-peak pressure amplitudes (30 bar) and effective suppression of high-amplitude acoustic modes within the manifold. In contrast, the open-end injector experiences strong pressure oscillations (up to 200 bar) and promotes feedback coupling between the combustor and manifold, leading to instability. Overall, the findings highlight the close-end swirl injector’s advantages in terms of stability and efficiency for high-performance LOx-CH rocket engines.
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Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
