Vulcain 2 - Experience : Volvo Aero

The sky is not the limit

Volvo Aero components have been launched into space for over 30 years.

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More power for Ariane 5

The Vulcain 2 engine is an upgraded version of the main engine for the Ariane 5 rocket, developing more thrust and allowing more Isp. The engine features a bigger nozzle with a film cooled skirt as well as more powerful LOX and LH2 turbines.

We are a part of the European team of companies that is developing and producing the Vulcain 2 rocket engine. We supply several of the engine's key parts, such as the hydrogen turbines and the oxygen turbines as well as the hydrogen cooled nozzle. We have been involved in the Vulcain 2 program since its beginning in the early 1990's .

Vulcain 2 produces 30% more thrust than its predecessor. The LOX turbine for the Vulcain 2 is an upgraded version with a more powerful configuration. It is a 2-stage transonic turbine that operates at speeds similar to those of its predecessor, but at higher pressure and flow rate to develop more power. The LH2 turbine is a 2-stage transonic turbine that powers the liquid hydrogen pump of the Vulcain engine of the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. As a GG-cycle engine, the Vulcain uses hydrogen-rich gases to power its turbines. For Vulcain 2, the LH2 turbine is of similar configuration but develops more power, operating at higher speed and pressure.

 

The new nozzle is considerably larger than its predecessor and uses world-first technology for supersonic film cooling. Two layers, re-injected turbopump exhaust and dumped hydrogen, ensure highly efficient cooling of the lower part of the nozzle. The upper part is made up of a spiraling-tube wall. The main technical challenge for our nozzle team was to keep a low surface mass density while reinforcing the hot tube wall and the lower, even hotter, film-cooled wall. The area ratio of the Vulcain 2 nozzle has been extended, from 45:1 to 60:1.

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