Giuseppe Leccese

Convective and Radiative Wall Heat Transfer in Liquid Rocket Thrust Chambers

The relative weight of convective and radiative wall heat transfer in liquid rocket engine thrust chambers is estimated by means of dedicated computational fluid dynamics tools. In particular, alth...

Experimental investigation of methane in transcritical conditions

The use of the Methane as coolant in a regenerative liquid rocket engine (LRE) presents some difficulties since transcritical fluidynamics operating conditions occur in the cooling channels. Transcritical conditions cause large fluid properties variation that strongly influences the coolant performance. The HYPROB program is carried out by CIRA under contract by the Italian Ministry of Research with the main objective to improve National system and technology capabilities on liquid rocket engines for future space applications, with specific regard to LOx/LCH4 technology. Its main objective is to develop an test a LOX/LCH4 demonstrator. In order to match this objective a specific breadboard, the Methane Thermal Properties (MTP) breadboard has been manufactured and test. It is based on an electrical heating of a single representative cooling channel that has the aim to validate numerical methodologies and to improve the understanding of relevant physics of methane thermal properties in transcritical conditions. The experimental test campaign has been succsesfull performed at Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories in Purdue University and the paper presents the main results.