The Aerospike Project nozzle design was optimized using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation software ANSYS Fluent. The simulation is conducted using a density-based solver type, specifically the realizable k-ε model for the viscous model equation. Boundary conditions are represented in the form of pressure inlet, pressure outlet, nozzle wall, and far field. The ANSYS simulation uses an implicit formulation method with Roe-FDS flux type and least squares cell-based gradient computation. The initialization process computes the specified initial values from the pressure inlet, and the specified number of iterations depends on whether the model is 2D or 3D as well as residual value convergence.

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By running these ANSYS Fluent simulations the design group was able to understand how the fluid interacts with the designed structure. Such simulations were integral in the design of the cowl and truncation of the Aerospike where varying geometries were tested in order to find the one with optimal performance. ANSY was also used to ensure the functionality of the Aerospikes components such as the T-bar. Overall, CFD simulations using ANSYS Fluent software were essential for the Aerospike design process and provided insight into the behavior of fluids, gases, and heat transfer in these complex geometries.