This paper outlines the results of a test program which was planned to demonstrate the feasibility of using a tank mounted, all-inducer, high speed liquid hydrogen booster pump to provide NPSH for the turbo pump in a reactor-powered vehicle. The cavitation problem associated with pumpoing liquid hydrogen, when used as a propellant, is further aggravated by localized heating caused by radiation from the reactor.
Finding the turbopump arrangement which is best suited for a given rocket engine - space travel applications - constitutes an important task. The arrangement depends upon a large variety of different factors, such as, the engine cycle, weight, the liquids to be pumped, the cavitation performance, the bearings and their lubrication, the seals and the turbine. In this report these factors and their influence on the turbopump configuration are discussed. It is shown that three of them: weight, propellants to be pumped and obtainable suction performance have the largest influence on the selection of the turbopump. A systematic approach is outlines for the design process, which allows to arrive at a turbopump arrangement best suited for a given application.
