Ppt

on
Cryogenic Engine
Miss : Deshpande.p.p.
Mr : atnurkar.a.d.

Mr : bandewar.g.g.
Mr : sarwade.s.d.

Liquid propellant rocket engines

General characteristics
Liquid propellant rocket engines are mostly widely used rocket engines because of many advantages that

liquid propellants have. The first rockets used solid propellants because of the simplicity of their construction
(just a barrel with gunpowder), but such engines were difficult to control. Chemistry and physics of combustion
were undeveloped, combustion was unpredictable and it was nearly impossible to control it. Liquid rocket
engines (LRE) were very promising: their thrust could be controlled by dosing propellant flow ratio with valves.
Although nowadays the techniques of solid propellants have enormously advanced, liquid propellants retain their
importance for the rocketry.
The main advantages of liquid propellants:

high specific impulse;

high thrust;
high thrust to weight ratio of the rockets;
easy to control.

However, they also have certain disadvantages:

complexity of the construction;

it is impossible to achieve very high specific impulse;
they are difficult to scale, complexity grows quickly with growing the thrust;
some propellants are highly toxic (hydrazine and its variants) or cryogenic (hydrogen).

The cryogenic Engine

What is mean cryogenic ?

The study of the production and behavior of materials at
very low temperature. (below -150 degree C, -238 degree
F, 123 K)

A person studies elements have been subjected to

extremely cold temperatures is called a cryogenicist.

Introduction
1.

2.

Geosynchronous satellite launch vehicles use Cryogenic

LOX/LH2 engine for their upper stage due to the higher specific
impulse compared to earth storable engine. Major elements of
Cryogenic system are propellant tanks, feed system and
combustion chamber
For high thrust engine with longer burn duration, turbopump
feed system are used

Cryogenic Engine
/Stage
The cryogenic stage mainly consist of
Fuel (LH2) and oxidiser (LOX) tanks
turbopump feed system, gas generator
and combustion chamber. The
schematic of a typical stage is shown in
figure
The cryogenic engine cycles
normally used are gas
generator cycle, staged
combustion cycle and
expander mode cycle. These Expander cycle
cycles are shown in figure2.

Staged combustion
cycle

GG cycle

 Particular cycle is chosen based on consideration like engine thrust,

duration, state of art available in the organization etc. In the gas
generator cycle (GG Cycle) the LOX and LH2 turbo pump are
driven at two different speeds. It is done by using either a single
turbine mounted on LH2 pump shaft and with gear box for reduced
speed for LOX pump. Other option is two independent turbines for
LOX and LH2 pumps mounted in either series mode or parallel
mode. GG cycle is simple, and leads to independent development of
subsystem like gas generator, turbopumps and combustion chamber.
In GG Cycle the gas generator is run on small quantity of LOX/
LH2 tapped from the pumps. In this cycle there is overall loss of Isp
due to lower Isp delivered by the turbine gas.

In expander cycle (EPC) the turbine drive gas,

Gaseous hydrogen is tapped from the regeneratively
cooled passage. The warm Gaseous hydrogen (GH2)
after driving the turbine enters the combustion
chamber where it burns with the oxygen to produce
necessary thrust. This cycle is comparable to (SCC)
as far as Isp loss is concerned. This cycle has yet
another advantage that the turbine runs on GH2 at
subatmospheric temperature. However the cycle has
limitations that the engine size/thrust is limited by
the magnitude of the heat extraction by hydrogen
from the regenerating cooling passages.

System Description

System Description
ISRO has embarked on a plan for realizing a gas generator cycle based
cryogenic engine in the 12 to 20 tonne thrust range. For this engine
LOX/LH2 turbopumps were mounted in the series mode of operation. The
LH2 turbopump which needs more power is driven first by its turbine and
the residual energy is used to run the LOX 3
turbine. The flow schematic is shown in fig
There are many parameters which are to be optimized before the detailed
system design is taken up. These parameters are turbopump speed, gas
generator, temperature, pressure ratio across each turbine, seals PV
(Pressure and velocity product) number, bearing mounting and DN
(bearing Diameter x speed) number, materials, pump net positive suction
head etc. Detailed descriptions of these parameters are beyond the scope
of this paper. The turbopumps were configured based on above
optimization criteria. Major specifications are given in Table

PUMP

LH2

LOX

Speed (rpm)

38000

15000

Flow Rate (kg/sec)

7.5

40.5

Head Rise (m)

13567

772

Efficiency (%)

60.5

59.5

TURBINE

LH2

LOX

Speed (rpm)

38000

15000

Inlet pressure (kg/cm2)

43

5.4

Inlet temperature (0c)

850

640

Flow rate (kg/sec)

1.24

1.17

Power (H.P)

1675

481

Efficiency (%)

0.46

0.46

Liquid Hydrogen Turbo Pump

The turbopump consist of a cavitating inducer upstream of centrifugal pump. Two

stage pumps are used. The volute used is a double tongue volute to reduce radical
loads. Sealing System consist of mechanical Turbopump bellow seal for the pump
side and hot gas seal for the turbine side. The rotating assembly is supported on two
angular contact ball bearing cooled by liquid hydrogen. An additional bearing is
provided upstream of the inducer to take care of pump over hang. In order to
reduce the axial load on the bearing the balance piston mechanism is used. Pump is
driven by a two row velocity compounded impulse turbine. Turbine is directly
mounted on the pump shaft. Hot gas at 853 K received from LOX/LH2 gas
generator runs the turbine. The exhaust form this turbine goes to LOX turbine
inlet. Fig gives the LH2 turbopump assembly

Liquid Oxygen Turbo pump

Liquid oxygen turbopump also consist of a cavitating inducer
upstream of centrifugal pump. Volute is a double tongue volute.
Bearing system consist of two angular contact ball bearings cooled by
LOX. Third bearing is provided at the upstream of inducer for better
support. The sealing system of this turbopump is very difficult. The
difficulty comes due to availability of unburnt hydrogen in the turbine
fluid. This unburnt hydrogen may lead to explosion if allowed to come
in contact with the leaked LOX from pump. In order to avoid mixing of
LOX and turbine hot gas, a helium purge seal is introduced between
the bellow seal and hot gas seal. Helium gas at a pressure of 4bar is
purged through this seal. This pressure gives the positive sealing
between leaked pump fluid and leaked turbine fluid. LOX pump is
driven by a two row velocity, compounded impulse turbine, which is
directly mounted at the shaft. Hot gas after driving the LH2 pump
drives the LOX pump.

Hardware and test facility realization

All the elements of turbo pumps are realized in house as well utilizing
external work centers. Turbine rotors in inconel and pump impeller in
steel have been realized. These pumps and turbines were tested using
water and GN2 as the working fluid respectively. The pump was driven
by electric motor and turbine power was absorbed in dynamometer. This
phase was completed under cold run testing of turbopump subsystem.
Subsequent to the cold flow test turbopumps were tested individually
under hot condition where pumps handled the actual fluid and turbine
was driven by hot gas. Finally the turbopumps were tested in the
integrated mode where LH2 and LOX turbo pump were driven in series
mode of operation, pump handling respective propellent and turbine
driver by gas generator hot product. The turbo pump performance for
LH2 and LOX turbo pump is shown in fig 6 & 7.

Conclusion
The cryogenic turbo pump (LOX / LH2) which are most complex system in
the cryogenic propulsion has been developed successfully. This demonstrates
the competence of ISRO in this area.

References

ISRO
Turbomachines for Cryogenic Engines

N.K Gupta
LPSC/ISRO
Trivandrum

THANKS