On the use of a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver for rocket engine pump impeller designA 3D Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes Solver and a Fast Grid Generator (FGG), developed specially for centrifugal impeller design, were incorporated into the pump impeller design process. The impeller performance from the CFD analysis was compared to one-dimensional prediction. Both analyses showed good agreement of the impeller hydraulic efficiency, 94.5 percent, but with an 8 percent discrepancy of Euler head prediction. The impeller blade angle, discharge hub to shroud width, axial length and blade stacking were systematically changed to achieve an optimum impeller design. Impeller overall efficiency, loss distribution, hub-to-tip flow angle distortion and blade-to-blade flow angle change are among those criteria used to evaluate impeller performance. Two grid sizes, one with 10 K grid points and one with 80 K grid points were used to evaluate grid dependency issues. The effects of grid resolution on the accuracy and turnaround time are discussed. In conclusion, it is demonstrated that CFD can be effectively used for design and optimization of rocket engine pump components.
Document ID
19920066200
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Chen, Wei-Chung (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Prueger, George H. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Chan, Daniel C. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Eastland, Anthony H. (Rockwell International Corp. Rocketdyne Div., Canoga Park, CA, United States)