Hydraulic Design of an Ultracompact Liquid Methane–Liquid Oxygen Turbopump for a Mid-Scale Thruster for Upper Stage Application
Alexandru-Claudiu Cancescu,
Daniel-Eugeniu Crunteanu,
Anna-Maria Theodora Andreescu,
Simona-Nicoleta Danescu,
Valeriu Dragan
Affiliations
Alexandru-Claudiu Cancescu
R&D Launchers and In-Space Advanced Propulsion System Department, National Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI, 061126 Bucharest, Romania
Daniel-Eugeniu Crunteanu
Doctoral School of Aerospatial Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Anna-Maria Theodora Andreescu
National Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI, 061126 Bucharest, Romania
Simona-Nicoleta Danescu
National Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI, 061126 Bucharest, Romania
Valeriu Dragan
National Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI, 061126 Bucharest, Romania
As space missions proliferate and the payload requirements increase, the environmental impact of thrusters can no longer be considered negligible. Therefore, less impactful fuels such as methane are starting to be considered for launchers. In this paper we present a design case study for such a turbopump. Using both analytical models and Computational Fluid Dynamics techniques, we were able to reduce the size and weight of the turbopump assembly. Also, due to the elimination of some auxiliary systems, the overall efficiency was enhanced. This paper’s findings and methods can be transferred not only to launchers in its own class, but also to larger scale engines with a similar construction.
