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 nozzle performance, and to compare the altitude characteristics of bell nozzle and aerospike nozzle with the same area ratio, a numerical program was developed by using implicit lower-upper diagonal decomposition scheme and monotone upstream-centered scheme for conservation laws 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 nozzle performance were presented. The altitude characteristics of aerospike nozzle and bell nozzle were compared.