Abstract
The construction of an experimental test rig of an electric—pump feed system for liquid—propellant rocket engines is discussed, focusing in particular on the choice of the different components, and the evaluation of their suitability. Most components are chosen off—the—shelf, yet they are proven to result in an efficient, lightweight design. However, the propellant pumps are found to require instead a customized design for actual in—flight applications. Unlike other components, the injection plate is designed and machined ad hoc for the present test bench. It features a single pentad injector to accomodate for the widely different flowrates of oxidizer and fuel. Hydraulic oil is used instead of the actual propellants due to restrictions deriving from adopting off—the—shelf pumps, which however is likely to entail limitations not greater than those associated with standard water testing of liquid—propellant rocket injection plates. The five jets are found to intersect positively. The characteristic curves and relationships of the oxidizer and fuel hydraulic circuits are also shown and discussed.
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Spiller, D., Stabile, A. & Lentini, D. Design and Testing of a Demonstrator Electric—Pump Feed System for Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines. Aerotec. Missili Spaz. 92, 123–130 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404670
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404670