Products > Discipline: Space and Aeronautics > Library: ESPSS

ESPSS LIBRARY

Summary

The purpose of the ESPSS libraries is to provide standard set of libraries with components and functions for the simulation of launch vehicle propulsion systems and spacecraft propulsion systems. The ESPSS also provides a standard database for propellants, pressurants and other fluids for simulation. The ESPSS libraries belong to the European Space Agency (ESA) and their use is subject to prior approval from ESA. EA Internacional is the official distributor to external users.

Official Releases

Version 1.0.1, March 19th 2008. First official version
Version 1.4.1, May 29th 2009. Many improvements based on the experience acquired under the Industrial Evaluation phase of the ESPSS Phase II, especially in relation to combustion chamber liquid injection models and to the experimental validation of priming test cases, two-phase tanks (filling and expulsion) and pressurization systems (ESCA engine).
Version 2.0.0, February 23th, 2010. It includes new improvements corresponding with the second phase of ESPSS project, particularly in the area of combustion chambers

Brochure

ESPSS Library brochure [pdf]

For questions regarding the ESPSS usage contact:

Cristina Fernández

phone: +34 914488598

fax: +34 915912655

email: cfi@empre.es

More information

The ESPSS project comprises of the following set of libraries: FLUID_PROPERTIES, FLUID_FLOW_1D, TANKS, TURBO_MACHINARY,COMB_CHAMBERS and ROCKET_EXAMPLES.

The ESPSS libraries provide palettes of components (represented by symbols) that can be used to graphically build complex systems. Other components that a user may require can be built by means of inheritance and aggregation.

The main objectives of the ESPSS project are:

To provide libraries with components and functions for the simulation of spacecraft and launch vehicle propulsion systems
To provide a standard database for propellants, pressurants and other fluids for simulation
To be open for user-defined code, being able to protect defined code, to allow inheritance, aggregation, encapsulation
To be able to interact and interface with other engineering software
To apply a strict Software Engineering approach with S/W QA
To allow models or model data to be exchanged and shared
To be used for analysis for concept definition, mission analysis, sensitivity analysis, impact studies and investigation of anomalies, and optimisation, testing and pressurant/propellant loading
To enable the use of verified and justified algorithms for steady-state, fast and slow transients

A following will provide a better understanding of the scope of the project:

Among others capabilities, the Fluid Properties library enables real properties of the typical working fluids in propulsion systems to be calculated, as the well known NIST code [RD- 5] does
The Fluid Flow library will simulate complex two-phase, two fluid piping systems, thus improving the numerical schemes classically used in other codes (RELAP4, from Idaho National Engineering Lab; ESATAN/FHTS, etc), in particular with respect to discontinuities
Among others capabilities, the Combustion Chamber library will simulate the chemical equilibrium of an arbitrary mixture of chemicals just as the well known CEA code [RD- 6] does, but in transient and non-adiabatic conditions where vaporisation and global reaction times are also considered
The Tank and Turbo-Machinery Libraries will allow these state-of-the-art rockets subsystems to be integrated

The ESPSS Software is structured in different project areas, summarised as follows:

A set of fluid property functions for the propellants, pressurant gases and ground fluids
A set of EcosimPro libraries including:

Mechanical Library, with rotational and translational elements
Thermal Library, with 0D, 1D and 2D networks
Tank Library 1D Fluid Flow Library, able to simulate cold gas flow, liquid flow and two-phase, two fluid homogeneous equilibrium flow
Combustion and Chemical Library
Turbo-Machinery Library
Control Logic Library

It has some advanced capabilities, such as:

Improved algorithms for fast transient 1D Fluid Flow and better able to track the pressure and phase discontinuities
An Optimization Module for design and test fitting
Standard interfaces with other software tools used for the analysis of propulsion systems, such as CFD codes and thermal analysers (Zooming).