Performance analysis of linear clustered aerospike nozzles

To investigate the performance of optimized aerospike nozzles, the effects of thermal parameters variation in gas flow on aerospike nozzles performance, and to compare the altitude characteristics of bell nozzle and aerospike nozzles with the same area ratio, a numerical program was developed by employing an implicit lower-upper(LU) diagonal decomposition scheme and monotone upstream-centered scheme for conservation laws(MUSCL)-type approach. The control equations were three-dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations and Euler equations. The performance of round-to-square cell was calculated. The effects of thermal parameters that were frozen or varied on aerospike nozzles performance were presented. The altitude characteristics of aerospike nozzles and bell nozzle were also compared. The results provide reference for the development of aerospike nozzles.