Abstract
There is a need for cheaper small satellite rocket launchers. One way of reducing costs is to reduce the cost of individual components. We describe here the development of an inexpensive piston pump for rocket engine applications. It demonstrates that it can deal with the combined requirements of high flow rate and operating speed at cryogenic temperatures without incurring the costs normally associated with such performance.
Highlights
All launch vehicles use turbopumps in order to pump propellant and oxidiser to a combustion chamber from low pressure tanks
We describe here the development of an inexpensive piston pump for rocket engine applications
It demonstrates that it can deal with the combined requirements of high flow rate and operating speed at cryogenic temperatures without incurring the costs normally associated with such performance
Summary
All launch vehicles use turbopumps in order to pump propellant and oxidiser to a combustion chamber from low pressure tanks. Turbopumps are currently the only pump designs that are able to provide the performance necessary to generate sufficiently high pressures in the chamber. Complexities arising from the extreme demands on the pumps, combining high flow rates, high operating speeds, and the use of cryogenic liquids, along with crucial constraints of weight and size, determined the direction of development of pump technology towards turbopumps for this application. 2. Piston pump - design and development Piston pumps, a form of reciprocating pump, generate sufficient pressure to maintain flow rate [4], and are often used in high pressure applications. Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd reciprocating pumps that can operate up to 690bar are commercially available [6] This is considerably higher than pressure achievable by turbopumps.
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