Rocket propulsion

By
Morla Raghuram
Asst. Professor
 Rocket working principle
• Newton third law of motion
• Law of conservation of momentum
• The chemical energy stored in the fuel is
converted into kinetic energy by burning the
fuel in the thrust chamber and subsequent
expansion in the nozzle to produce thrust
• Rockets obtain thrust by reaction from the
ejection of fast moving exhaust fluid from
rocket engine.
 Difference b/w jet and rocket
engine
Jet engine
• Air breathing engine
• It cannot be operated in
vacuum
• Thrust produced depends on
altitude and flight velocity.
• Friction increases with flight
speed
• Oxygen supply depends on
atmospheric conditions. It
carries only fuel
Rocket engine
• Non air breathing engine
• Space travel possible
• Trust production does not
depends on altitude.
• It offers no surface drag. No
gravitational effect. Rate of
climb increases with
altitude.
• It carries oxidizer as well as
fuel.
 Construction and working
• A rocket is a non air breathing engine and it
has a few moving parts.
• It carries fuel and oxidizer on the board of the
craft.
• The high pressure gases coming from the
combustion chamber act as rocket propellants.
• These gases expand through the nozzle, and
produces thrust on the rocket.
 ROCKETS

NUMBER
PROPELLANT FUEL RANGE APPLICATIONS
OF STAGES

WEATHER
SOLID SINGLE STAGE CHEMICAL SHORT
FORECASTING
ROCKET(WITH
ONE MOTOR)
LIQUID NUCLEAR MEDIUM MILITARY

MULTI STAGE SPACE

HYBRID SOLAR LONG
ROCKET(WITH EXPLORER
MORE THAN
ONE MOTOR)
BOOSTER
ELECTRICAL
ROCKETS

RETRO
ROCKETS
Solid propellant rocket
 Solid propellant rocket
• Solid propellant rocket burns a solid block
made of fuel, oxidizer, and binder (plastic or
rubber). The block is called grain. Ammonium
per chlorate oxidizer and other chlorine
compounds are toxic, corrosive, and damage
the ozone layer. Ammonium nitrate oxidizer is
hygroscopic, but is usually more desirable,
because it is safe, cheap, and smokeless.
 Solid propellant rocket
• Solid propellant rocket is inexpensive, but has
a low specific impulse (2-3 km/s), has to carry
heavy casing, and cannot be throttled or
stopped; it burns until all the grain is
exhausted. When used in outer space, they
may produce space junk in the form of
micrometer-size aluminum oxide particles and
centimeter-size slag.
 Applications
• Assisted take off of missiles and
projectiles.
• Small range rockets.
LIQUID PROPELLANT ROCKETS

• Fuel and oxidizer mixed in the

Constructional
mixing chamber and preheated to
details
1. Fuel tank suitable temperature.
2. Oxidizer tank • Then it is injected in the
combustion chamber. Where the
3. Fuel pump
mixture is ignited by an electric
4. Oxidizer pump torch.
5. Injector • The steam is produced by mixing
6. Steam turbine a very high concentrated H2O2
7. Combustion with KMNO4.
chamber • The pumps are driven by a steam
8. Control valves turbine.
LIQUID PROPELLANT
ROCKET
 Analysis of Rocket Propulsion
• Thrust(F)=Momentum thrust+ Pressure thrust
• Momentum thrust=M(jet velocity – propellant entry
velocity) i.e.,M(Vjet –Vi)
• But, oxygen and fuel are stored within rocket itself,
thus entry of propellant relative to rocket is zero.
• So, Momentum thrust=MVjet
• Pressure thrust =(pe-pa)Ae
• where Pe is exit pressure
• Pa is air pressure
 Analysis of Rocket Propulsion
• Specific thrust=

Ratio of thrust developed to mass flow rate of

propellant.
• Specific impulse =

• Total impulse= product of specific impulse and

weight flow rate of propellant used.
• total impulse =F
Analysis of Rocket Propulsion
Analysis of Rocket Propulsion
Analysis of Rocket Propulsion
Analysis of Rocket Propulsion
Analysis of Rocket Propulsion