Modeling Leakage Losses and Axial Thrust in Rocket Engine Turbopumps

Abstract

Large-scale liquid rocket engines require high-speed turbopumps to inject cryogenic propellants into the combustion chamber. Modeling the impact of secondary path and leakage flows on the performance and axial thrust of the pump is critical during the early design phase. Previous studies derived simplified models and empirical correlations to model leakage loss and determine the pressure distribution in the side gaps. The prediction capabilities of these models are subject to limitations and uncertainties mainly due to the interaction between impeller exit flow and sidewall gaps especially at partload operation. The effects of the leakage injection on the impeller flow are not fully understood and not captured by analytical correlations from literature. These can have destabilizing and detrimental effects on the hydraulic performance and the head curve, leading to a divergence betweenmodel predictions and experimental results. In this project a reduced order model is developed to capture the effects of the sidewall gaps on turbopump performance and determine the axial thrust on the rotor. High fidelity calculations of the pump and volute are performed to identify the key physical mechanisms associated with loss generation in leakage paths and improve upon existing analytical models found in literature. Axial thrust and leakage losses are modeled numerically with a single passage geometry to capture the interaction of impeller flow and leakage flow through the side gaps at multiple operating points. It is found that the recirculation of pressurized fluid, leakage mass flow, is the most impactful effect on the performance. The volumetric efficiency is captured within 16% with the analytical model and 6% with the single passage numerical calculations at nominal operation. At partload operation however, the accuracy of both models reduces. Disk friction is under predicted by the investigated analytical model and axial thrust is over predicted. For both effects the reduced numerical model shows promising results that improve the prediction capability around nominal operation and offer a higher flexibility required for the early design phase as compared with the high fidelity, full annulus calculations. For the investigated cases the leakage injection to the impeller flow does not show a destabilizing impact on the characteristic behavior.