PROJECT TITLE: Advanced strategic planning to develop a turbopump system for a liquid propellant rocket engine — DevPump

Coordinator: National Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI 

Partners:

• SC STRAERO (Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Aero-Astronautic Structures) SA
• National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICIT Rm. Valcea

Period: 19 November 2012 – 15 August 2014

Project director: Dr. eng. Valentin Silivestru

Project team: Total Persons involved – Months: 88 

Description: DevPump aims to elaborate a logical succession of operations involved in the development of a turbopump system, covering all phases of the process, upgrading the cycle and therefore contributing to the advance in the state-of-the-art of rotating machinery, bearing and dynamic seal technology, fabrication methods, material development, using time and cost reducing computational tools, such as CFD and FEM methods, focusing on improving and optimizing the performances of the turbopump system.  The project proposal pursues the development of an advanced mechanism of strategic planning to design and manufacture a high-precision, high-reliable turbopump system for liquid propellant rocket engines. 

Project objectives:

The general objectives of the project consist in:

• Development and promoting the national research capacities in the field of turbopumps for liquid rocket engines;
• Multidisciplinary training of specialists at the highest level in hydro-gasodynamics, structural analysis, cryogenics, the study of materials and innovating technologies.

The list of specific objectives for DevPump result from the main technical and scientific issues and is as follows:

• strategic planning in order to develop the main components of the turbopump system (pump, turbine, shaft, bearings, seals);
• strategic planning in order to develop the entire turbopump assembly and the technology;
• strategic planning in order to develop a test bench facility dedicated for turbopump testing; 

Activities:

• WP 1- Project Management 
• WP 2- Liquid rocket engine centrifugal flow pump module 
• WP 3- Advanced planning for the development of the turbine 
• WP 4- Strategic planning approach dedicated to the turbopump assembly system 
• WP 5-Testing 

Contributions to the STAR programme objectives:

The new spacecraft requires a new-generation of liquid propulsion systems for launch vehicles. 

The DevPump prepares the way to produce a new turbopump for Europe’s Ariane launcher and opens the collaboration with SNECMA FRANCE, the lead engine supplier on Ariane launcher and the world’s second largest manufacturer of liquid propulsion systems for launch vehicles.

This collaboration is in line with the Plan for European Cooperating States (PECS) designed to help European countries, particularly those that joined the EU after 2004 as it is the situation of Romania.

In DevPump project, a practical harmonization with international technologies and methodologies – aspect that is in accordance with the ESA strategy. Thus, for the project, in accordance with ESAs Technology programmes, a critical evaluation of international existing solutions will be realized in order to introduce an improved centrifugal flow module that can be widely used

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