investigation of sloshing and pressure drop behavior during the stage separation process of a LOX/CH4 rocket without ullage rocket
- Paper ID
99016
- DOI
- author
- company
LandSpace Technology Corporation Ltd.
- country
China
- year
2025
- abstract
This research investigates the impact of canceling ullage rocket during the stage separation process of the ZhuQue-2E (ZQ-2E) launch vehicle, an enhanced version of the world's first methalox (LOX/LCH4) rocket which conducted the orbital space mission succesfully, focused on the sloshing and heat exchange behavior of the 2nd-stage LOX/LCH4 propellants. Under a near-zero gravity condition, sloshing could become violent and the liquid-gas mixing could lead to insufficient tank pressure for 2nd-stage firing. CFD simulations were performed to investigate the mechanism of sloshing amplification and tank pressure variation during the stage separation,as well as the influence of different initial fluid conditions on dynamics. Results indicate that the initial sloshing amplitude exerts the most significant effect. The simulation results demonstrate good consistency with the telemetry data from the first flight mission of the ZQ-2E launch vehicle.