A Numerical Study on the Design of an Exhaust Plume Deflector for Rocket Launches

In the present study, the exhaust plume deflector for the rocket launches was designed using computational fluid dynamics. First, a parametric study was conducted to examine the effects of the geometric design parameters such as impinging angles and chamber/chimney configurations. As a second step, the shape design of the exhaust plume deflector to minimize the plume effect on the launch system was deduced based on the results of the parametric study previously performed. To validate the design methodology, the numerical results were compared with measurement data obtained from the launching test. Good agreement between the analysis and the measurement results was observed, confirming the reliability of the present framework for the exhaust plume deflector design.