"Experimental and Computational Investigation of a Dual-Bell Nozzle" by Elizabeth Carr Fortner, Hannah McCallum et al.
Increased interest in launching nanosatellites drives the development of alternative, more efficient, rocket nozzles. One such option is the dual-bell nozzle (DBN), in which the geometry is designed to achieve two ideal design points over the ascent profile, resulting in a higher average specific impulse for the booster stage. This project involved the design of a DBN, which was then modeled using ANSYS Fluent. A scaled DBN was also fabricated and tested in an indraft supersonic wind tunnel. Results from the experimental characterization of the DBN, using schlieren imaging of flow structures, are presented and found to be qualitatively consistent with simulation results. Results of the Fluent simulations for a full-scale DBN and the scaled DBN tested in the wind tunnel are also presented.