A study of boiling heat transfer as applied to the cooling of ball bearings in the high pressure oxygen turbopump of the space shuttle main engine
Two sets of ball bearings support the main shaft within the High Pressure Oxygen Turbopump (HPOTP) in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). In operation, these bearings are cooled and lubricated with high pressure liquid oxygen (LOX) flowing axially through the bearing assembly. Currently, modifications in the assembly design are being contemplated in order to enhance the lifetime of the bearings and to allow the HPOTP to operate under larger loads. An understanding of the fluid dynamics and heat transfer characteristics of the flowing LOX is necessary for the implementation of these design changes. The proposed computational model of the LOX fluid dynamics, in addition to dealing with a turbulent flow in a complex geometry, must address the complication associated with boiling and two-phase flow. The feasibility of and possible methods for modeling boiling heat transfer are considered. The theory of boiling as pertains to this particular problem is reviewed. Recommendations are given for experiments which would be necessary to establish validity for correlations needed to model boiling.