• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.35-41
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• 2014

A rotordynamic analysis is performed for a turbopump of 7 ton class liquid rocket engine considering bearing housing structural flexibility. Stiffness and damping characteristics of ball bearings and pump noncontact seals are reflected in a rotordynamic model. A dynamic model of bearing housing with lumped mass and stiffness is also applied to the rotordynamic analysis. Rotor critical speed and onset speed of instability are predicted from synchronous rotor mass unbalance response and complex eigenvalue analyses. The bearing housing structural flexibility effect on rotordynamic characteristics is investigated for both of bearing loaded and unloaded conditions respectively. From the numerical analysis, it is found that the effect of the housing structural flexibility significantly reduces the rotor critical speed and onset speed of instability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.129-132
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• 2008

For the development of the 30tonf level LOx/kerosene liquid rocket engine, turbopump-gas generator closed-loop coupled tests are performed. To simulate engine operation conditions, combustion chamber was substituted by flow control orifices. In simulated engine system operation environment, chill-down procedure, startup characteristics, nominal operability of turbopump+gas generator coupled Test Plant are confirmed. Turbopump and gas generator are confirmed to operate well in simulated engine environment. The control system for regulating power and mixture ratio of Test Plant are also successfully confirmed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.821-826
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• 2011

The turbopump+gas generator (TP+GG) coupled test for the liquid rocket engine development was performed. By comparing the results of a engine startup transient analysis with this test results, the verification of the analysis model was performed. From this, as to the analysis of the engine startup, the method calculating the pressure ratio of the turbine during the initial stage of startup was improved. And a fact that the transient heat transfer phenomenon between the working fluid and the solid parts of turbine effects to the calculation of turbine pressure ratio and consequentially to the startup analysis was revealed.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.91-96
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• 2004

An optimal design of the gas generator for Liquid Rocket Engine (LRE) was conducted. A fuel-rich gas generator in open cycle turbopump system was designed for 10ton in thrust with RP-1/LOx propellant. The optimal design was done for maximizing specific impulse of thrust chamber with constraints of combustion temperature and for matching the power requirement of turbopump system. Design variables are total mass flow rate to gas generator, O/F ratio in gas generator, turbine injection angle, partial admission ratio, and turbine rotational speed. Results of optimal design provide length, diameter, and contraction ratio of gas generator. And the operational condition predicted by design code with resulting configuration was found to maximize the objective function and to meet the design constraints. The results of optimal design will be tested and verified with combustion experiments.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.178-182
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• 2007

This paper reviews on the LRE health monitoring and emergency protection system to protect test object engine system and engine test facility, in case of various fault occurrence at LRE testing. General composition and major technical consideration of LRE health monitoring system and emergency protection system are reviewed. Moreover, some application of LRE health monitoring/emergency protection system to development test of major LRE component such as turbopump testing, gas generator and combustion chamber test are reviewed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2017

TPTF (Turbopump Real Propellant Test Facility) at Naro Space Center has used alcohol burner system to simulate the gas flow of gas generator of liquid rocket engine. During the test at TPTF, the temperature and pressure at turbine inlet were smoothly increased while those of the gas generator of engine were constant. Present research developed a simulation code for the burner and the piping system and applied to the system. The calculation results were in good agreement with the test, and confirmed quantitatively that the non-steadiness is due to the heat transfer of the pipe. While the insulation of the pipe is ineffective, the length has a large impact on the turbine inlet condition. The present research clarified the empirically estimation of test condition, and can be applied to determination of the following test conditions.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2011

Rolling contact ball bearings are utilized almost exclusively for liquid propellant rocket engine turbopump. Turbopump ball bearings are required to endure high speed and high load for a poor lubricated condition in cryogenic environment. To evaluate bearing heat generation performance, friction torque is investigated as a function of rotation speed, bearing load and cooling flow rate through an experimental study using water coolants. Radial and axial loads are simultaneously applied to the test bearing by gas pressurized cylinder rod. Endurance performance of bearing has been also verified under the bearing required load for operating condition during total accumulated test time 2,100 sec.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.25-28
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• 2003

The bearing/sealing test (BST) facility is intended for tests of bearing and seal for turbopump of liquid rocket engine (LRE) in various media (water, liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen). The bearing test for serviceability is fulfilled with the estimation of the flow rate of cooling medium through the test bearing separator and with the simulation of axial and(or) radial loading. The purpose of seals test is the determination of magnitude of leakages through the seal and a time variation of this magnitude.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2004.03a
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• pp.560-564
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• 2004

The optimal design and combustion analysis of the gas generator for Liquid Rocket Engine (LRE) were performed. A fuel-rich gas generator in open cycle turbopump system was designed for 10ton$_{f}$ in thrust with RP-1/Lox propellant. The optimal design was done for maximizing specific impulse of main combustion chamber with constraints of combustion temperature and power matching required by turbopump system. Design variables were selected as total mass flow rate to gas generator, O/F ratio in gas generator, turbine injection angle, partial admission ratio, and turbine rotational speed. Results of optimal design show the dimension of length, diameter, and contraction ratio of gas generator. Also, the combustion test was conducted to evaluate the performance of injector and combustion chamber. And the effect of the turbulence ring was investigated on the mixing enhancement in the chamber.r.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.91-100
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• 2016

Efficiency characteristics of centrifugal turbopumps for a liquid rocket engine were investigated. Predicting the performance of pumps for a turbopump assembly test, the variation on pump efficiency by working fluids was analyzed from pump component tests. Water and liquid nitrogen (LN2) were used for the component test, kerosene (Jet A-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) were adapted for the turbopump assembly (TPU) test as working fluids. Overall performance of the pumps was investigated covering design/off-design operating points and the pump efficiency on the environment of real media (LOX/kerosene) could be modified from the pump component tests.