Numerical Analysis of Pressure Wave Propagation at Rocket Launch Pads Using Open-Source CFD Solvers

Ignition overpressure (IOP) waves are generated during ignition of the rocket. IOP is a transient phenomenon that occurs as a sudden burst of exhaust gases during lift-off. This wave has a high pressure magnitude and a relatively low frequency. It can have destructive effects on the launch vehicle and on the launch pad. Therefore, analyses of this phenomenon are necessary. Numerical analyses of are conducted with open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solvers; OpenFOAM and SU2. Three-dimensional inviscid Euler equations are solved for a launch pad including the rocket geometry. A grid independence study is performed using the pressure probes at different locations of the launch complex. At these probes, pressure variations with respect to time are evaluated numerically. In addition, to remove high frequency oscillations, a low pass filter is applied for pressure variations. It is observed that different mesh resolution is required depending on the location.