Rocket Propulsion Basics

Ideal Nozzles

Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-1

Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Analysis Goal
• Determine performance (, Isp or c, c*)
of rocket nozzle based on
– inflow properties
• To, po
– exit boundary conditions
• pa
– nozzle geometry/design pa
• Aexit/Athroat, Athroat At
To
Ae Te
po pe

Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-2

Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

1
 Idealizing Assumptions

1. working fluid is homogeneous gas

(composition)
2. thermally and calorically perfect
3. adiabatic (negl.: wall heat transfer few %
and radiation; )
4. reversible flow (negl.: boundary layers, some shocks, b.l.
viscous effects, shocks)
5. uniform properties in direction normal
depends on
to flow length
6. quasi 1-d flow (only axial velocities)
7. steady flow depends on duration, combustion instabilities

Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-3

Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Analysis
• Consider nozzle At pa
control volume
To T1 Te
• Mass conservation
po p1 pe
d
m 1  mCV  m e
dt
assume steady flow
m 1  m e  m
• Energy Conservation
assume adiabatic
 u   2
d  u2 
assume
m  h1    Win  ECV  Q out  m  he  e 
1
uniform
 2  dt  2
flow
 u  
2
u 
2
 h1  1    he  e   ho  constant
 2  2 stagnation enthalpy
Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-4
Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

2
 Exhaust Velocity
pa
ue  2ho  he 
At
• So
tpg, cpg To T1 Te
 2c p To  Te  po p1 pe
“knowns”   ?
• How to find Te? To  Te  ue2 2c p
– use 2nd Law To  T1
velocity into nozzle
typically low

Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-5

Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Temperature, Pressure Relations

• 2nd Law At pa
rev. steady adiabatic
d T T1
m s1  S pr  SCV  m se   q walls
 dA p o p1
Te
dt o pe
 s1  se  so isentropic
Why assume rev.? will produce ue,max T o
• Using TPG state relations
dT o dp o 1
so  se  0  ? c p  R
e T e p
cpg T p eirrev
Isentropic  c p ln o  R ln o e
Relations Te pe
 Te To   pe po    pe po 
R cp  1 
 e  o   Te To 1  1 s
Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-6   c p cv  c p c p  R 
Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

3
 Exhaust Velocity Optimization

• Combine results ue  2c p To  Te 

 1 
Te  pe 
 
ue  2c pTo 1  Te To  To  po 
 1
 
  pe   
ue  2c pTo 1    
  po  
 
• What can be done to increase ue (and  Isp)?
– higher To (~ To½)
limited by either energy available
or material strength/survivability

Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-7

Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Exhaust Velocity Optimization

 1
 
• What can be done to   pe   
ue  2c pTo 1    
increase ue (and  Isp)?   po  
 
– higher To (~ To½)
1
– higher po / pe
for pe / po < 1/100  1/1000,
diminishing returns

– higher cp
F(p)

 1
  1.667
 p   
R F  p   1   e  
cp 
1.4
  po  
  1 MW   1.2
range
• lower  ~ 1.1-1.67 0.1
• lower MW 1 0.1 0.01 0.001 0.0001

light propellants  higher Isp pe/po

Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-8
Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

4
 Thrust
• Already showed static thrust and equivalent
force for accelerating case are same
  m ue   pe  pa Ae need nozzle exit pressure
and mass flowrate
?  ?  
• Begin by reviewing pressure/temperature
Mach relations (in isentropic nozzle)
– adiabatic, no work  ho (or To) = const.
– include rev.  po = const. T o
 1 u2 u   1
To T  1  u 2 2c pT  1  M2  t
c pT RT
2
  1 RT  a 2
  1 2 
po p  1  M  M u a
e
 2 
property variations only function of M
s
Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-9
Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

pe from Nozzle Area Relations

• What determines M variation in nozzle?
– cross-sectional area variation
• Constant mass flow rate through nozzle (steady) and
combining isentropic (tpg/cpg) relations  1
– nozzle flow starts A 1  2    1 2  2 1
subsonic   1  M 
At M    1  2 
– nozzle converges 20

to accel to M = 1
15
(at throat)
– nozzle diverges to
A/A*
A/A t

10

accel to M > 1
5
– large Ae/At ( ) =1.4
to achieve high M 0
0 1 2 3 4 5
e.g., M=7 =100(=1.4) or =500(1.26) M
M
typically   50:1
Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-10
AE6450 Rocket Propulsion
Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved

5
 pe from Nozzle Property Variations
• How do flow properties 20
arbitrary nozzle
vary through nozzle? 15
profile

Diameter
– example for =1.26 10

• All static properties drop 5

along nozzle 0

– typically rapid 1 Axial Position 8

T/To
near throat
0.1 6
– least ? T

Property Ratios

Mach Number
M
– most ? p 0.01
/o
4

• pe  fn(po,Me)  fn(po,) 0.001 2

only one  will produce p/po

pe  pa (perfectly expanded)
0.0001 0

throat Axial Position

for given po

Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-11

Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Mass Flowrate
  m ue   pe  pa Ae
?  
?  
• Now that we found exit pressure,
need mass flowrate to get thrust
• From continuity m   u A
For tpg 
p
M RT A
RT
 
• Using (tpg + cpg) isentropic relations
po 
f  , M 
po
m A  M  1 
RTo   1 2   1 RTo
1  M 
 2 

Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-12

Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

6
 Choked Nozzle
• For fixed po and To mass flux m
f  , M 
po
at given nozzle cross-section 
controlled by f (, M) A RTo
f  , M max  f  ,1
0.7
– highest mass flux
at throat (M will be 0.6

closest to 1 there) 0.5

– for given At, 0.4

=1.4

f(  ,M)
maximum flowrate 0.3
when nozzle 0.2
is choked (Mt  1)
0.1
Sub- Supersonic
for 
0
0.726 1.67
f  ,1  0.685 1.4  0.7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
M
0.660 1.26
Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-13
Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

Choked Mass Flow Rate

• So we have po
m choked  At
RTo
– can increase with
• higher po (linearly)
• lower To (To½ )
• larger throat (& nozzle) (linear with At)
• heavier molecular weight (R ½  1/MW ½)
• What does it take to choke the nozzle?
– will show later requires
po/pa > critical value that is function of 
– for rocket nozzles, critical value not much
bigger than 1
Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-14
Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion

7
 Thrust Optimization (Ideal)
• So for perfectly expanded, ideal nozzle
  m ue   1

  pe   
f  
po
m  At ue  2c pTo 1    
RTo   po  
 
• What will increase thrust?
– At ?
 1
– po ?   po 1   pe po  

– To ?   To To  fnTo 

– MW ?   c p R     1
 1
– ? 
   1
 
1

 1  2  neglecting p term
Seitzman Ideal Nozzles-15
Copyright © 2012, 2017, 2018 by Jerry M. Seitzman. All rights reserved AE6450 Rocket Propulsion