Date of Award

Summer 6-2018

Access Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Department

Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Eric Perrell

First Committee Member

Sathya Gangadharan

Second Committee Member

R.R. Mankbadi

Third Committee Member

Mark Ricklick

Abstract

Triple Screw Pumps, a form of positive displacement pump, offer steady, high-pressure flow. In very small launch vehicles or upper stages turbopumps are not practical. This paper examines the performance of triple screw pumps to determine if they may serve as an alternative to turbopumps for use in small launch vehicles or upper stages. To this end, the geometry of the screws is first determined from the relative sizes of the screws and tooth height. From this — along with the screw angle and screw clearance — the performance parameters of flow rate, output pressure, and efficiency can be computed. These results can be compared against experimental results using a 20mm 5-3-1-4 triple screw pump. The pump was able to produce a flow rate of 37mL/s at 1000rpm and an output pressure of 75.3kPa at 1200rpm — both within expected result range. This document may serve as a starting point for future pump designs and design requirements.

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