Application of TURBOdesign1 for the Compact Design of Rocket Engine Turbopump - JAXA

At the present time, Stepanoff’s design methodology based on empiricism using an experimental database is still widely used in pump design. This design is so popular because he “strongly suggested” based on his experimental investigation of the correlations between many design parameters and pump performance that the optimum blade exit angle was 2β = 22.5 degrees. It is indeed true that designers using Stepanoff’s method can design pumps, that demonstrate moderate performance at very cheap design costs. These facts along with a rich experimental database make the method attractive as a standard design methodology. However, it is also true that Stepanoff’s method can not be applied to breakthrough designs beyond the design range he originally tested.