A Computational Multiphysics Study of a Satellite Thruster

This work concerns the study of the thermomechanical behaviour of a commercial thruster for aerospace use. The thruster, operated by a bipropellant liquid mixture, is used for the motion and in-orbit altitude control of small telecommunications satellites. The mixture used in the combustion process is composed of propylene and nitrous oxide, while the wall of the thruster is made of PH15-5 stainless steel. A computational fluid dynamics analysis of conjugate heat transfer re-turns the spatial-temporal distribution of temperature within the thruster wall. This information is passed to a finite element mechanical model that simulates the stress and the equivalent plastic strain distribution within the thruster wall.