Study on the forward-sweep inducer for LRE turbopumps

Choi, Changho; Kim, Jin-Sun; Kim, Jinhan

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2009.01.044

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Hereafter the results are discussed and validated by comparison with the pertinent experiments carried out in the CPRTF at Alta. Since the complex flow occurs in the inlet pipe [14][15][16][17], the influence of the location of the reference stations for the evaluation of the inducer hydraulic performance has been investigated by considering both local and mean values of the static pressure on the relevant inlet/outlet flow cross-sections (indicated above as positions 1, 2, and 3). In particular, with reference to Figure 6(a), four positions of the nominal inlet/outlet stations in the computational domain have been used:…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on Hydraulic Performances of a 3-Bladed Inducer Based on Different Numerical and Experimental Methods

Fang

Yuan

et al. 2016

International Journal of Rotating Machinery

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The hydraulic performances of a 3-bladed inducer, designed at Alta, Pisa, Italy, are investigated both experimentally and numerically. The 3D numerical model developed in ANSYS CFX to simulate the flow through the inducer and different lengths of its inlet/outlet ducts is illustrated. The influence of the inlet/outlet boundary conditions, of the turbulence models, and of the location of inlet/outlet different pressure taps on the evaluation of the hydraulic performance of the inducer is analyzed. As expected, the predicted hydraulic performance of the inducer is significantly affected by the lengths of the inlet/outlet duct portions included in the computations, as well as by the turbulent flow model and the locations of the inlet/outlet pressure taps. It is slightly affected by the computational boundary conditions and better agreement with the test data obtained when adopting the k-ω turbulence model. From the point of the pressure tap locations, the pressure rise coefficient is much higher when the inlet/outlet static pressure taps were chosen in the same locations used in the experiments.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on Hydraulic Performances of a 3-Bladed Inducer Based on Different Numerical and Experimental Methods

Fang

Yuan

et al. 2016

International Journal of Rotating Machinery

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“…1 The significant cavitation phenomenon typically occurring in turbopumps often leads to the development of flow instabilities that can seriously degrade the suction performance, the overall efficiency, and operating reliability of the machine or cause other equally undesirable effects such as the drastic increase of vibration and the noise level, or even cause its rapid failure. 2 In general, an inducer is employed upstream of the centrifugal stage of rocket propellant feed turbopumps to sufficiently pressurize the inlet flow for enabling the main pump to operate satisfactorily, avoid serious damages caused by cavitation, improve the suction performances, and reduce the propellent tank pressure and weight. 2 Brennen analyzed the effects of the water temperature on the suction performance of a centrifugal pump and demonstrated in detail that the noncavitating performance of a pump is substantially not affected by the properties of the working fluid.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 In general, an inducer is employed upstream of the centrifugal stage of rocket propellant feed turbopumps to sufficiently pressurize the inlet flow for enabling the main pump to operate satisfactorily, avoid serious damages caused by cavitation, improve the suction performances, and reduce the propellent tank pressure and weight. 2 Brennen analyzed the effects of the water temperature on the suction performance of a centrifugal pump and demonstrated in detail that the noncavitating performance of a pump is substantially not affected by the properties of the working fluid. 3,4 However, as thermal damping is known to increase rapidly with the liquid temperature, the properties of the working fluid can have a strong effect on the cavitation performances of the turbopump because of the thermal cavitation effect.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experimental and numerical study on cavitation performances of a turbopump with and without an inducer

Xie

Shen

et al. 2021

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G:

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The cavitation performances and its internal flows in a centrifugal turbopump with and without a three-bladed axial inducer have been studied both experimentally and numerically. A 3D steady numerical model has been applied to simulate the cavitating flow from the inlet to the outlet ducts of the turbopump with and without an inducer by using ANSYS CFX code. In the present work, to clarify this relationship, we conducted experiments in both cold water ( T = 20°C) and hot water ( T = 80°C) with a focus on the development of vapor volume fraction and head degradation by gradually reducing the inlet pressure from atmospheric conditions to the minimum allowable value at a constant rate of about 3 mbar/s. The measured and predicted cavitation performances of the turbopump with and without an inducer have been compared under different operating conditions and the temperature of the operating fluid.

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“…The design methodologies for turbopump found in the literature [6] [8][9][10][11][12] still today, completely do not explain the influence leading edge sweep of the inducers on their performances. This paper is an attempt to predict then effects of leading edge sweep on the performance of the cavitating inducer.…”

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of leading edge sweep on the performance of cavitating inducer of LOX booster turbopump used in semicryogenic engine

Mishra

Ghosh

2017

IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng.

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Abstract. As a part of the developmental effort towards the realization of a staged combustion cycle based liquid rocket engine, a program on simulation of the LOX booster pump for performance characterization has been taken up. Earlier reported work shows that the pump inducer works satisfactorily under cavitating conditions for the throttling range varying from 90% to 113%. However stall occurs below 90% of the designed flow rate which is to be strongly associated with the inlet backflow vortices due to flow separation [1]. It is envisaged that leading edge sweep may help in to controls the incipience and growth of the backflow vortices at the inlet leading edge tip of axial flow inducer leading to a wider operating range. In this paper, steady state 3D CFD analysis of rotating inducer is performed to examine the effect of leading edge sweep on the performance of axial flow LOX pump inducer using ANSYS ® CFX and has been compared with the performance of the inducer reported by Mishra and Ghosh [1]. IntroductionThe primary constraint on space enterprises is the high cost of escaping Earth's gravity. Therefore, for manned space mission and deep space probes, reusable launch vehicles are contemplated to be used. One of the technological options towards this endeavour is a semicryogenic engine based on high pressure, oxygen rich, staged combustion cycle with LOX and hydrocarbon fuel [2].For high thrust, a mission with high specific impulse, a turbopump propellant feed system offers overall weight reduction, high power to weight ratio with increased payload capacity. This turbopump feed system has at least on booster pump to ensure cavitation free operation at the main pump inlet. Cavitation is the vaporization of the liquid in regions of low pressure, and it has negative consequences lead to substantial losses finally contributing to the degradation of pump performance and higher cost of the mission. This makes cavitation an important issue in design and operation of the booster turbopump.The LOX booster turbopump is typically designed to operate in slightly cavitating condition and permits the main pump to work at higher speeds [3,4]. The term cavitating refers to the fact that the pump is capable of operating over a broad range of incipient cavitation before a noticeable pump head drop off.

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Study on the forward-sweep inducer for LRE turbopumps

Cited by 10 publications

References 7 publications

Study on Hydraulic Performances of a 3-Bladed Inducer Based on Different Numerical and Experimental Methods

Study on Hydraulic Performances of a 3-Bladed Inducer Based on Different Numerical and Experimental Methods

Experimental and numerical study on cavitation performances of a turbopump with and without an inducer

Effect of leading edge sweep on the performance of cavitating inducer of LOX booster turbopump used in semicryogenic engine

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