Astrochemistry, Supersonic Flows, and Additive Manufacturing: A Design Optimisation Framework for Laval nozzles in Uniform Supersonic Chemical Reactor

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The chemical kinetics of interstellar media and its associated astrochemistry are essential in understanding the formation and destruction of molecules observed in space and the composition of planetary atmospheres. Reactions in these media often occur in very low temperature environments (down to ~10 K) which are challenging to mimic experimentally under laboratory conditions. For this purpose, chemists use an apparatus known as a Laval nozzle to generate the low temperatures under which the reaction kinetics can be studied within the flow. The necessary low temperature is generated using pulsed supersonic flow (Ma up to ~4) via a Laval nozzle (converging-diverging section). Currently this is achieved using experimentally informed designs for the Laval nozzle geometry which are expensive and time consuming. This project will deliver rational framework for the design of the Laval nozzles used in these "Uniform Supersonic Chemical Reactors" (USCRs). This will combine the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for supersonic flow prediction, additive manufacturing of nozzles, and astrochemical experimentation. Formal design optimisation techniques will be implemented to achieve the best possible shape and topology to maintain the necessary temperature and pressure conditions. This process will also include combining the stochastic nature of additive manufacturing into the framework.