Rocket Propulsion Overview

Seitzman Rocket Overview-1

Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Rocket Definition
Rocket  Device that provides thrust to a
vehicle by accelerating some matter (the
propellant) and exhausting it from the
rocket
– Most significant difference between
rocket and air-breathing engines is
the rocket carries all its own
propellant

Seitzman Rocket Overview-2

Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

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 Rocket: Performance Issues
• Thrust
– important when there are minimum allowable
acceleration requirements, e.g., launch in
gravity field
• Impulse
 F((t)t )dt
– measure of rocket performance – usually
normalized by mass of propellant required
(specific impulse, Isp)
• Other issues
– structural weight, size, complexity, reliability,…

Seitzman Rocket Overview-3

Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Rocket Propulsion Elements

Propellant Energy Source
gas, liquid, solid chemical, pressure,
nuclear, radiation (solar)

Storage Storage
same in chemical
rockets
Feed System Conversion
to press., temp.,
for gases/liquids electricity, radiation
Accelerator
Thermodynamic (pressure
nozzle), electromagnetic
(static, dynamic fields)

Seitzman Rocket Overview-4

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AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

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 Examples: Pressure Rocket
• Cold Gas Thruster
Cold gas (N2, hydrazine,…)
stored at high pressure with
thrust provided by accel-
eration through nozzle
– Propellant=Energy source (storage
pressure)
– Feed system: piping from storage to nozzle
– Accelerator: nozzle (thermal to kinetic
energy)

Seitzman Rocket Overview-5

Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Examples: Chemical Rocket

• Bipropellant: LH2-LOX (H2/O2) SSME
Combust pressurized H2
and O2 in combustion
chamber, nozzle exhaust
– Propellant=Energy source
(chemical)
– Storage: liquid (cryogenic)
tanks
– Feed system: liquid pumps and piping
– Energy conversion: chemical to thermal
energy (combustion)
– Accelerator: nozzle
Seitzman Rocket Overview-6
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AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

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 Examples: Electrical Rocket
• Ion Engine
Ionize neutral gas (Xe); ions
accelerated by E field;
ions recombined with e-
– Propellant: neutral gas
– Energy source: e.g., nuclear
– Energy conversion: nuclear to
thermal to electrical
– Accelerator: high voltage
electrostatic field across
electrodes
Seitzman Rocket Overview-7
Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Applications
• Space Propulsion
– Launch: from “planetary” body to orbit
– Orbit Insertion: from launch orbit to mission
orbit
– Maneuvering: maintain or change orbit or
trajectory
– Attitude Control: orientation of vehicle
• Aircraft Propulsion
– High thrust/acceleration (sustained or
boosters)
– High speed flight (> ramjet/scramjet capability)

Seitzman Rocket Overview-8

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AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

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 Chemical Rockets
• Thrust produced by conversion of
– chemical energy to thermal energy
– thermal energy to kinetic energy
• Common Applications
– Usual choice for high thrust rockets, e.g,
launch, orbit change, aircraft propulsion
– Also used for maneuvering and attitude
control

Seitzman Rocket Overview-9

Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Chemical Rockets – Types

• Gas rockets
– fuel/oxidizer stored as gases  large storage
volumes
• Liquid rockets
– stored as liquids, more complex but high impulse
• Solid rockets
– propellant is solid, lower impulse but simpler
• Hybrid rockets
– usually solid fuel+liquid/gas oxidizer
• Motors vs. Engines
– Motor = propellant stored inside comb. chamber
– Engine = storage outside combustion chamber
Seitzman Rocket Overview-10
Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

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 Chemical Rockets – Liquid System
• Primary subsystems
– storage
– feed system
– thrust chamber
assembly (TCA) + IGNITER

Storage TCA
Feed
System adapted from grc.nasa.gov from history.nasa.gov
Seitzman Rocket Overview-11
Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Chemical Rockets – Liquid Propellants

• Monopropellants
– exothermic decomposition
• hydrogen peroxide H2O2
• hydrazine N2H4
• Bi-propellants
– fuel/oxidizer combustion
• H2 / O 2
• RP-1 (kerosene) / O2
• MMH (CH3NH-NH2) / N2O4
– hypergolic: self-igniting on contact

Seitzman Rocket Overview-12

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AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

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 Chemical Rockets - Solid
igniter

• Nothing but TCA

• Casing
– cooling throat
not required, grain casing insert nozzle
protected by propellant
• Grain
– geometry (surface area/shape) of solid propellant
– no feed system to control propellant flow rate,
grain design to “program” burning rate – can be
very high
• Nozzle
– no coolant available, higher T material required
Seitzman Rocket Overview-13
Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Chemical Rockets- Solid Propellants

• Homogeneous
– fuel/oxidizer mixed at near molecular level
• Heterogeneous
10 m
– separate “fuel”
and “oxidizer”
– usually oxid.
particles in
solid binder
• AP/rubber
• AP/rubber/Al
Fine Particles Binder Coarse Particles
Seitzman Rocket Overview-14
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AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

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 Other Rockets: Applications
• Pressure (cold gas)
– attitude control + maneuvering: reduced thrust as
pressure used up, rendevous
• Electrical
– Arcjet thrusters - maneuvering + attitude control
– Ion engines - space propulsion
• Advanced systems
– Nuclear thermal: like chemical rockets with nuclear-
based heat addition, high thrust
– Solar thermal
– Magnetoplasmadynamic and other electrodynamic
devices, high impulse
– Combined Cycles: typically combine air-breathing with
rocket cycles for single-stage to orbit (SSTO)
Seitzman Rocket Overview-15
Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

“Propellantless” Space Propulsion

• Solar sails: use momentum from solar wind, out-
bound trajectories only
• Magnetic sails: use magnetic fields instead of solid
material to capture “wind”
• Tethers:
– rotating (momentum exchange, “catch and throw”)
– electrodynamic: conducting material moving
through (Earth’s) magnetic fields can produce
currents/voltages or passing current through tether
 produce forces
• Warp drive…..(space-time/ gravity manipulation)

Seitzman Rocket Overview-16

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AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

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 Rocket vs. Air-Breathing Propulsion
• Air-breathing • Rocket
– doesn’t have to – can operate without
carry most of atmosphere
the propellant – higher M operation
(higher Isp) (no “ram drag”)
– limited to lower – usually higher
Mach nos. internal pressures
turbojet/turbofan
 m ramjet/scramjet

rocket

M
Seitzman Rocket Overview-17
Copyright © 2003,2006,2010 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved.
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion