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Numerical simulation based on the discrete phase model and dynamic mesh model can more accurately simulate the working process for hybrid rockets, including the motion and evaporation process of particles and regression process of the fuel grain. The dynamic numerical simulation of combustion and flow in hybrid rocket motors based on a discrete phase model is carried out. Aluminum and aluminum hydride are added to the internal flow field as discrete droplets. Then, a hybrid rocket is designed with 95 % hydrogen peroxide as oxidizer and 38 % aluminum hydride+20 % aluminum+42 % hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene as the fuel and used to verify the model by firing test. A high degree of agreement between experiment and simulation findings is found. The average deviations for thrust and pressure are 3.6 % and 5.9 %, respectively. It offers the required backing for using the simulation method to investigate the flow and combustion process for the hybrid rockets. The results also demonstrate the transient characteristics of the inner flow field, including the separation and merging of vortexes in the pre-chamber. It is found that a peak of the regression rate appears at the front of the grain and moves backward. This is mainly because the vortex appears here and enhances its heat transfer. Through the discrete phase model, it is worth noting that the aluminum droplet content gradually decreases at the nozzle over time, which is consistent with the firing test. Further research on the impact of aluminum hydride content on the performance of the hybrid rockets has been carried out. The results show that the higher aluminum hydride content can lead to better performance for the hybrid rockets. The thrust, pressure, specific impulse, and characteristic velocity enhance with the increase of aluminum hydride content. An interesting discovery is that the average regression rate is maximum at 48 % aluminum hydride content. This research innovatively couples dynamic mesh and discrete phase models, which can help better understand the working process for hybrid rockets and provide important guidance for the selection of fuel formula. • A simulation model of hybrid rocket motors based on a discrete phase model is established. • The motion and evaporation of particles and regression of the fuel grain are simulated. • A test of hybrid rockets with fuel containing aluminum and aluminum hydride is carried out. • A high degree of agreement between experiment and simulation findings is found. • The impact of aluminum hydride content on the performance of the hybrid rockets is conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to research and predict the effect of the convention aluminum particle additives on the performance of the HTPB/98HP hybrid rocket motor with the numerical approach. The aluminum particle is injected to the flow field in form of droplet from the grain surface, and then simulated by the discrete phase model. A CFD code has been developed to solve the coupling mass, momentum and energy equations of gas and solid at the grain surface, as well as the initial parameters of the aluminum droplet. A good agreement exists between the calculated regression rate from numerical model and the experimental data, indicating that the accuracy of applying numerical approach to predict the characteristics of aluminum metallized HRM is acceptable. Series of static numerical simulation have been conducted to determine the effect of aluminum particle property on the combustion and specific impulse performance of the HRM. The regression rate increases with the weight fraction of convention aluminum particle, but shows no distinguished correlation with the particle diameter. The characteristic velocity and vacuum specific impulse display a strong dependence on the particle diameter. The results illustrate that the proposed numerical approach is potentially an effective tool for predicting and investigating the enhancement of the regression rate and performance of the HRM with the addition of aluminum particle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regional verification of soil moisture is a vital step in evaluating and improving numerical model performance and utilizing forecast results. Currently, even with improved spatial and temporal resolutions of numerical model, verification methods for soil moisture data still rely on the traditional intensity verification parameters, such as mean error (ME) and root-mean-squared error (RMSE). Those methods provide only incomplete and sometimes inaccurate messages and thus hinder a proper evaluation of a forecast model. The SAL method is an object-based regional verification method with respect to precipitation forecasts. Based on the SAL method, a novel object-based method (SAL-DN) is proposed here, which can be used to test regional soil moisture. Both the ideal experiment and real experiment show that the SAL-DN method can reveal the differences between the observed and forecast soil moisture in three aspects: structure, amplitude, and location, and the results can reflect the actual situation. Furthermore, compared with the SAL method, the SAL-DN method is also capable of verifying physical quantities with high-value and low-value centers like temperature. Therefore, the SAL-DN method enhances verification accuracy and can be applied widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this effort is to study the combustion performance of a hybrid rocket motor with the help of 3D steady-state numerical simulation, which applies 90% hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene as the fuel. A method of secondary oxidizer injection in post-chamber is introduced to investigate the flow field characteristics and combustion efficiency. The secondary injection medium is the mixed gas coming from liquid hydrogen peroxide catalytic decomposition. The secondary injectors are uniformly set along the circumferential direction of the post-chamber. The simulation results obtained by above model are verified by experimental data. Three influencing parameters are considered: secondary injection diameter, secondary injection angle and secondary injection numbers. Simulation results reveals that this design could improve the combustion efficiency with respect to the same motor without secondary injection. Besides, the secondary injection almost has no effect on the regression rate and fuel sueface temperature distribution. It is also presented that the oxidizer is injected by 8 secondary injectors with a diameter of 7–8 mm in the direction of 120°in post-chamber is identified as the optimized secondary injection pattern, through which combustion efficiency, specific impulse efficiency as well as utilization of propellants are all improved obviously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]