Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) is proud to have supplied the ten rocket engine turbopumps used by SpaceX in its successful launch of the Falcon 9 mission leading to a historic rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). This mission is the first commercial flight to the ISS and marks the 35th engine flown. BNI is pleased…
Evolution And Trend Of API 617 Compressor Rotordynamic Criteria Pettinato, B.C., Kocur, J.A., Swanson, E.E., 2011 Turbomachinery, Transactions of the Turbomachinery Society of Japan Abstract This paper traces the history of the American Petroleum Institute acceptance standards for compressor machinery dynamics. This examination starts with the 1st edition of the API 617 standard published in…
Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) was awarded a five-year contract valued in excess of $10 Million for the manufacture of Air Turbine Assemblies which are used on the Navy’s Virginia Class submarine fleet. BNI’s employees and management are proud that the U.S. Navy and its prime contractors are confident that we can successfully deliver this mission-critical hardware.…
Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) would like to congratulate SpaceX on its successful launch of the Falcon 9. BNI has been working with SpaceX since 2002 and produced the turbopumps that supply kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants to the Merlin engines. There are ten engines in all; nine engines provide thrust for the first stage…
A cryogenic pump produced by Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) is featured in NASA Tech Briefs because it uses composite materials to increase pump efficiency and reduce conductive heat leak. Several modifications were made to the design and operation of the extended-shaft cryogenic pump to increase the pumping efficiency. In general, cryogenic fluid pumping efficiency is limited…
Rotordynamic Design Audits Of AMB Supported Machinery Swanson, E.E., Maslen, E.H., Li, G., Cloud, C.H., 2008 Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Turbomachinery Symposium, Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas Abstract Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs) are a mature bearing technology that is being applied to many new turbomachines. They have become the bearing of choice…
Rotordynamic Considerations For Foil-Bearing-Supported Rotors Operating Above A Bending Critical Speed Chen, H.M., Swanson, E.E., Walter, T.J., 2006 International Joint Tribology Conference, Paper IJTC2006-12118. Abstract In meeting goals for higher energy density and efficiency for micro-turbomachinery, there is a trend towards higher operating speeds. Gas-lubricated foil bearings historically have provided a key enabling technology for…
Bump Foil Damping Using A Simplified Model Swanson, E.E., 2006 ASME Journal of Tribology Abstract Foil bearings are a key enabling technology for advanced and oil-free rotating machinery. In certain applications, they provide a level of performance that is difficult or impossible to match with other technologies. A number of reasonably successful analytical techniques to…
Barber-Nichols’ founders, Bob Barber and Ken Nichols cut the cake at the company’s 40th-anniversary celebration. Barber and Nichols met while both were employed at Hamilton Sundstrand, decided to go into business for themselves in 1966, and specialized in turbine engineering. Since that time, the company has grown to 61 employees, has fully integrated engineering and…
Barber-Nichols was awarded a confidential contract for two LNG Vapor Return Compressors to be installed at one billion cubic foot/day import terminal and regasification plant. Commercial operations will commence in 2008, will improve natural gas supplies in the Southwestern United States, and will bolster the regional economy. Additionally, project managers are working extensively with regional…
