A Numerical Study of Fluid Velocity and Temperature Distribution in Regenerative Cooling Channels for Liquid Rocket Engines

In liquid rocket engines, regenerative cooling technology is essential for preserving structural integrity under extreme thermal loads. However, non-uniform coolant flow distribution within the cooling channels often leads to localized overheating, posing serious risks to engine reliability and operational lifespan. This study employs a three-dimensional fluid–thermal coupled numerical model to systematically investigate the influence of geometric parameters—specifically the number of inlets, the number of channels, and inlet manifold configurations—on flow uniformity and thermal distribution in non-pyrolysis zones. Key findings reveal that increasing the number of inlets from one to three significantly enhances flow uniformity, reducing mass flow rate deviation from 1.2% to below 0.3%. However, further increasing the inlets to five yields only marginal improvements (