Meco Machinery

From Meco Rocket Simulator Wiki
Revision as of 21:37, 7 July 2025 by Admin (talk | contribs) (→‎Meco Machinery)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Machinery components represent rotating equipment that can add or extract energy from the fluid. These components model pumps, turbines, and other rotating machinery with detailed performance characteristics.

Overview

The Meco Rocket Simulator supports 3 different machinery types:

Machinery Type Purpose Fluid System Key Parameters
MachineryPump Energy addition (pumping) Liquid Centrifugal pump geometry
MachineryTurbine Energy extraction (power) Gas Turbine aerodynamics
MachineryNonDynamic Inertial load Any Rotor inertia only

Common Requirements

All machinery components require:

  • Connection to a Shaft for rotational dynamics
  • Connection to a Branch for fluid interaction (except MachineryNonDynamic)
  • Detailed geometric and performance parameters

MachineryPump

Overview

  • Type: MachineryPump
  • Purpose: Centrifugal pump for liquid propellant systems
  • Modeling: Detailed impeller geometry and performance characteristics

Parameters

  • Connection Parameters:
    • name - Component name (string)
    • branch - Connected branch name (string)
    • shaft - Connected shaft name (string)
  • Geometric Parameters:
    • betaB2 - Outlet blade angle in radians (double)
    • r1 - Inlet radius in meters (double)
    • r2 - Outlet radius in meters (double)
    • b2 - Outlet width in meters (double)
    • eRMS - Surface roughness in meters (double)

Design Guidelines

  • Inlet Radius (r1): Typically 0.03-0.08 m for rocket applications
  • Outlet Radius (r2): Usually 2-4 times inlet radius for good efficiency
  • Blade Angle (betaB2): 15-30 degrees (0.26-0.52 radians) for centrifugal flow
  • Outlet Width (b2): Affects flow rate and pressure rise capability
  • Surface Roughness (eRMS): 0.000001-0.00001 m for machined surfaces

Example JSON

{
  "name": "LOX Pump",
  "category": 3,
  "type": "MachineryPump",
  "branch": "LOX HP Line",
  "shaft": "LOX Transmission",
  "betaB2": 0.305,
  "r1": 0.05,
  "r2": 0.12,
  "b2": 0.01,
  "eRMS": 0.000001
}

MachineryTurbine

Overview

  • Type: MachineryTurbine
  • Purpose: Gas turbine for power extraction from hot gas flow
  • Modeling: Detailed aerodynamic performance with stator and rotor geometry

Parameters

  • Connection Parameters:
    • name - Component name (string)
    • branch - Connected branch name (string)
    • shaft - Connected shaft name (string)
  • Aerodynamic Parameters:
    • alpha - Nozzle angle in radians (double)
    • beta - Blade angle in radians (double)
    • admissionRatio - Admission ratio 0-1 (double)
  • Geometric Parameters:
    • rTip - Tip radius in meters (double)
    • rotorH - Rotor height in meters (double)
    • rotorC - Rotor chord in meters (double)
    • statorA - Stator area in m² (double)
    • statorO - Stator opening in m² (double)
  • Operating Parameters:
    • omega - Rotational speed in rad/s (double)
    • gamma - Heat capacity ratio (double)
    • t - Temperature in Kelvin (double)
    • rS - Specific gas constant in J/kg·K (double)

Design Guidelines

  • Nozzle Angle (alpha): 60-75 degrees (1.05-1.31 radians) for optimal efficiency
  • Blade Angle (beta): 30-45 degrees (0.52-0.79 radians) for impulse turbines
  • Admission Ratio: 0.5-1.0, partial admission reduces efficiency but enables control
  • Speed Parameter (omega): Match to shaft system for optimal power extraction
  • Gas Properties: gamma ≈ 1.3-1.4 for combustion products, rS depends on gas composition

Example JSON

{
  "name": "LOX Turbine",
  "category": 3,
  "type": "MachineryTurbine",
  "branch": "LOX Stator Nozzle",
  "shaft": "LOX Transmission",
  "alpha": 1.2740903539558606,
  "beta": 1.222,
  "rTip": 0.166,
  "rotorH": 0.02,
  "rotorC": 0.03,
  "statorA": 0.00631,
  "statorO": 0.00246,
  "admissionRatio": 0.9,
  "omega": 1391,
  "gamma": 1.398,
  "t": 1050,
  "rS": 2270
}

MachineryNonDynamic

Overview

  • Type: MachineryNonDynamic
  • Purpose: Non-rotating machinery that adds inertial load to shaft systems
  • Modeling: Pure rotational inertia without fluid interaction

Parameters

  • Connection Parameters:
    • name - Component name (string)
    • shaft - Connected shaft name (string)
  • Inertial Parameters:
    • rotorRadius - Rotor radius in meters (double)
    • rotorLength - Rotor length in meters (double)
    • rotorDensity - Rotor material density in kg/m³ (double)

Design Guidelines

  • Material Density:
    • Steel: ~7850 kg/m³
    • Aluminum: ~2700 kg/m³
    • Titanium: ~4500 kg/m³
  • Sizing: Consider rotational inertia effects on system dynamics
  • Applications: Flywheels, generators, auxiliary equipment

Example JSON

{
  "name": "Generator Load",
  "category": 3,
  "type": "MachineryNonDynamic",
  "shaft": "Main Shaft",
  "rotorRadius": 0.15,
  "rotorLength": 0.3,
  "rotorDensity": 7850
}

Turbomachinery Design Principles

Pump Design

  1. Specific Speed: Optimize impeller geometry for required flow and head
  2. NPSH Requirements: Ensure adequate suction performance to avoid cavitation
  3. Efficiency: Target 75-85% efficiency for rocket pump applications
  4. Structural Integrity: Consider stress limits at high rotational speeds

Turbine Design

  1. Velocity Ratios: Optimize blade speed to gas velocity for maximum efficiency
  2. Stage Loading: Balance pressure ratio per stage with efficiency
  3. Cooling: Consider thermal limits and cooling requirements
  4. Partial Admission: Use for control but expect efficiency penalties

System Integration

  1. Speed Matching: Match pump and turbine speeds through gear ratios
  2. Power Balance: Ensure turbine power exceeds pump power requirements
  3. Transient Response: Consider rotational inertia effects on startup/shutdown
  4. Control Strategy: Integrate with control systems

Performance Modeling

Pump Performance

  • Head-flow characteristics based on impeller geometry
  • Efficiency curves accounting for losses (hydraulic, volumetric, mechanical)
  • NPSH requirements for cavitation avoidance
  • Power consumption calculations

Turbine Performance

  • Aerodynamic performance based on velocity triangles
  • Stage efficiency modeling including profile, secondary, and tip clearance losses
  • Partial admission effects on performance
  • Heat transfer and cooling considerations

Common Applications

  • Main Engine Pumps: High-pressure propellant pumps for main combustion chamber
  • Gas Generator Turbines: Power extraction from gas generator exhaust
  • Preburner Turbines: Power for staged combustion cycle engines
  • Auxiliary Drives: Generators, hydraulic pumps, other accessories
  • Control Systems: Variable geometry turbines for engine control

See Also

Retrieved from "https://wiki.mecorocketsimulator.com/index.php?title=Meco_Machinery&oldid=115"