Cavitation and Turbopump Hydrodynamics Research at Alta S.P.A. and Pisa University

The paper introduces and briefly outlines the research activities on cavitation and turbopump hydrodynamics conducted in the last 20 years at the Department of Aerospace Engineering of Pisa University, at Centrospazio, a nonprofit space propulsion laboratory established in 1989, and at Alta S.p.A., a private spin-off company founded in 2000 and active in the aerospace sector. Both the experimental activities conducted in a dedicated facility called Cavitating Pump Rotordynamic Test Facility (CPRTF) and the analytical/numerical work are described. A valuable experience has been gained by the research group throughout the years, and important results have been obtained in the definition of experimental techniques for the detection of flow instabilities, the understanding of thermal cavitation effects on pump performance and instabilities, and the development of reduced order analytical tools for the preliminary design and performance prediction of axial inducers.