Flow and Heat Transfer in Solid Rocket Motors

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1215

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Key Laboratory of Solid Rocket Propulsion, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Interests: complex flow and heat transfer in solid rocket motor; ablation mechanism of the insulator

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to various advantages, such as their inherent simplicity, high reliability, and quick responses, solid rocket motors (SRMs) play an important role in space launch vehicles. As their performance can be enhanced through the fundamental mechanisms of their complex flow and heat transfer physics, there is growing interest in the issues encountered in these areas.

Indeed, an understanding of complex flow and heat transfer mechanisms, multiphase flow dynamics, and the ablation mechanism of the adiabatic layer are all technical challenges still to be faced in advanced SRM design. Building on this vision, this Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the most recent advances in the field of the flow and heat transfer of SRMs. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, complex flow and heat transfer, ablation mechanisms, multiphase flow modeling, metal droplet behavior, the prediction of SRM performance, the design of combustion chambers and nozzles, and combustion modeling.

Prof. Dr. Yang Liu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • solid rocket motor
  • complex flow and heat transfer
  • ablation mechanism
  • insulator
  • multiphase flow modeling
  • metal droplet behavior
  • design of combustion chamber and nozzle
  • combustion modeling
  • prediction of performance

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 4669 KiB  
Article
Numerical Investigation of the Two-Phase Flow Characteristics of an Axisymmetric Bypass Dual-Throat Nozzle
by Xuefeng Xia, Zhensheng Sun, Yu Hu, Hongfu Qiang, Yujie Zhu and Yin Zhang
Aerospace 2025, 12(3), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12030226 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 422
Abstract
The bypass dual-throat nozzle is based on the dual-throat nozzle, which is a fluidic thrust vector nozzle suitable for integration into rocket motors in a symmetrical manner. As the effects of gas–solid two-phase flows are essential for solid rocket motors (SRMs), this study [...] Read more.
The bypass dual-throat nozzle is based on the dual-throat nozzle, which is a fluidic thrust vector nozzle suitable for integration into rocket motors in a symmetrical manner. As the effects of gas–solid two-phase flows are essential for solid rocket motors (SRMs), this study employs the RNG k–ε turbulence model and a particle trajectory model to numerically simulate the three-dimensional flow field inside a fixed-geometry axisymmetric bypass dual-throat nozzle to investigate its two-phase flow characteristics and thrust vectoring performance. Numerical results reveal that the smaller-diameter particles exhibit better flow-following characteristics and have a more significant impact on nozzle performance. As particle size increases, particle trajectories gradually rise within the cavity and converge toward the nozzle axis until a critical value is exceeded, after which the distribution tends to disperse. Particle deposition occurs at the bends of the bypass channel, the upstream converging section of the nozzle, and the converging section of the cavity, underscoring the need for a reinforced geometric design and thermal protection. In addition, the introduction of the particle phase into the flow reduces the thrust-vectoring angle of the nozzle and results in a loss of thrust coefficient. This research has the potential to guide the design of engines according to the incorporation of metal powder in propellants and combustion control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flow and Heat Transfer in Solid Rocket Motors)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 7533 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Numerical Analysis of Mixing Characteristics in a Scramjet Combustor Utilizing Multi-Pylon Configurations
by Xuefeng Xia, Zhensheng Sun, Yingyang Wang, Yu Hu, Hongfu Qiang, Yujie Zhu and Yin Zhang
Aerospace 2025, 12(3), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12030173 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 415
Abstract
The pylon has been identified as a highly promising method for enhancing mixing efficiency in scramjet combustors. This work systematically assessed the impact of spanwise, streamwise, and oblique multi-pylon combinations in a supersonic cold flow through numerical simulations, employing pylon-aided ethylene fuel injection [...] Read more.
The pylon has been identified as a highly promising method for enhancing mixing efficiency in scramjet combustors. This work systematically assessed the impact of spanwise, streamwise, and oblique multi-pylon combinations in a supersonic cold flow through numerical simulations, employing pylon-aided ethylene fuel injection under low dynamic pressure conditions. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with the SST k-ω turbulence model are applied during the simulation. Numerical results reveal that, in comparison to the streamwise combination, the spanwise combination exhibits superior flow field characteristics in terms of mixing efficiency, penetration depth, and total pressure loss. For a given injection condition, an optimal distance between pylons exists in the spanwise combination, with the angle between two pylons having minimal influence on mixing efficiency. The oblique multi-pylon combination yields poorer mixing enhancement efficiency and fuel penetration but incurs less total pressure loss in the near field when compared to the spanwise combination. Additionally, the oblique multi-pylon combination demonstrates enhanced mixing efficiency further downstream of the injector than the spanwise combination. This investigation into fuel injection schemes based on multi-pylon combinations offers valuable insights for the structural design of scramjet engines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flow and Heat Transfer in Solid Rocket Motors)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop