Thermal Protection Characteristics of Novel Multi-Hole Opposing Jet Configurations

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  • Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

Online published: 2026-01-05

Supported by

This work is supported by Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program.

Copyright

Science Press, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026

Abstract

The opposing jet technique has the potential to provide superior aerothermal protection for long-term high-speed flight in the atmosphere. However, the single-hole opposing jet has certain limitations, including a high requirement for jet injection pressure and inadequate maneuverability. To overcome this, a novel multi-hole opposing jet concept has been proposed, comprising a primary hole located at the stagnation point and multiple secondary holes located downstream. The findings indicated that a secondary hole positioned inside the primary jet recirculation vortex can inhibit primary jet flow reattachment and mitigate peak reattachment heat flux. A smaller secondary hole could impede the lift-off effect of the downstream vortex, facilitating efficient heat reduction at various jet injection pressures. The side-by-side and staggered multi-hole opposing jet configurations were established, which demonstrated an efficacy in reducing the peak heat flux by 11.7% statistically compared to a single-hole injection at the same mass flow rate. When an incoming angle of attack was presented, the multi-hole arrangement exhibited a further peak heat flux reduction of 12.2% by statistical analysis. The results underscore the effectiveness of multi-hole configurations with low-pressure injection in reducing heat and enhancing maneuverability, while demonstrating stronger engineering applicability than traditional combined thermal protection systems without structural compromises or flow instability risks.

Cite this article

XU Haonan, LI Xueying, REN Jing . Thermal Protection Characteristics of Novel Multi-Hole Opposing Jet Configurations[J]. Journal of Thermal Science, 2026 , 35(1) : 62 -81 . DOI: 10.1007/s11630-026-2224-8

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