Technical paper - Design methods for axisymmetric supersonic nozzle contours

Supersonic nozzles find application in many engineering systems. In several applications, minimum length nozzles are preferred for space and weight minimization. In this paper, two methods for design of axisymmetric supersonic nozzles have been compared. The methods examined are based on method of characteristics, namely, the analytical method, and the second-order method. Demonstrative results are presented for Mach 2.5 for various parameters. The results indicate that the nozzle length obtained by the second order accurate method is the least among all. Such methods hold promise in active nozzle contour control systems.