EKC2023

[P55-MA]Construction of a Bipropellant Water Flow Test Apparatus Applied with an Electric Pump-fed Cycle

Not scheduled

20m

Poster Poster(Wed)

Speaker

Prof. Hwanil Huh (Chungnam National University)

Description

An electric pump-fed cycle is a rocket engine cycle that uses an electric motor to drive a pump. Another cycle that uses a pump, a gas-generator cycle, uses some of propellants to drive a gas generator and turbine. In contrast, an electric pump-fed cycle has the advantage that all propellants can be used for thrust because it replaces turbine and gas-generator with an electric motor[1]. Also, because the system complexity is lower than that of a gas-generator cycle, the reliability of a rocket engine can be improved[2]. In addition, since the system configuration is simple, it has the advantage of fast response and easy flow control[3]. Kim et al. compared the pump RPM control and the valve control as a flow control system using a test apparatus that simulated an electric pump-fed system[4]. As a result, the pump RPM control showed the advantage of linear and detailed flow control compared to the valve control. Through previous research, the flow control basic technology using the pump RPM of an electric pump-fed cycle was secured. In order to raise the level of technical research, it is necessary to develop an integrated control code that can control the O/F ratio of a bipropellant liquid rocket. For this purpose, it is necessary to improve the test apparatus. This paper introduces the construction of a bipropellant water flow test apparatus applied with an electric pump-fed cycle. The existing test apparatus simulated only one electric pump-fed system and was placed parallel to the floor. To simulate a real bipropellant rocket, the newly test apparatus is placed vertically and uses two electric pump-fed systems. In addition, a power system including batteries and inverters was configured to drive electric pumps, and the space environment test facility for battery was constructed. Using the constructed test apparatus, the fuel/oxidizer flow rate feed experiment of an electric pump-fed cycle will be conducted. Through this, it is expected that it will be possible to develop an O/F ratio integrated control code for an electric pump-fed cycle engine and secure a control sequence to match a propellant feed timing.

References

[1] Ki, W., Lee, J., Lee, H., Roh, T.S. and Huh, H., “Overseas Research Trends of an Electric-Pump Cycle for Application in Upper-Stage Propulsion Systems,” Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 64-77, 2020.

[2] L. Ordonez Valles, U. Apel., M. Tajmar and A. Pasini, “Analyzing the potentialities of an electric pump-fed new generation kick stage powered by green propellants a sensitivity analysis approach,” AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum, National Habor, Maryland, U.S.A., AIAA 2023-0515, Jan. 2023.

[3] Lee, J., Roh, T.S., Huh, H. and Lee, H.J., “Performance Analysis and Mass Estimation of a Small-Sized Liquid Rocket Engine with Electric-Pump Cycle,” International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences, Vol. 22, pp. 94-107, 2021.

[4] Kim, G.Y., Lee, H.J., Kim, J. and Huh, H., “Static Flow Characteristics of an Electric Pump-fed Cycle Space Propulsion System Using Valve and Pump RPM Control,” Trans. Korean Soc. Mech. Eng. B, Vol. 46, No. 9, pp. 515-527, 2022.