Plume Structure Analysis of an Axisymmetric Supersonic Micro-nozzle at the Various Pressure Ratios

압력비가 변할 때 축대칭 초음속 노즐의 플룸 구조 해석

The steady non-reacted compressible flow field in a symmetric micro-thruster, which is used for the accurate attitude control of a satellite, is analyzed varying the nozzle pressure ratio (NPR) to investigate the plume characteristics. The nozzle throat diameter is 0.06 inch and the area ratio is 56. The recirculation region is found just behind the normal shock at the several NPRs due to the locally adverse pressure gradient along the nozzle centerline when the environmental pressure is atmospheric. This phenomenon, the cause of flow loss, is similar to the flow behind a blunt body. As NPR increases the location of Mach disk, characteristics of the normal shock, moves downstream and its strength increases. The Mach number distribution appears in a wave-type patter after the normal shock because oblique shocks are reflected on the shock boundaries especially when NPRs are very high.