By

A.VinothKumar
Assistant Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering
SRM University

History and evolution of rockets

Rocket equation
Definitions- Performance parameters
Staging and Clustering
Classification of rockets
Rocket nozzle and performance
Nozzle area ratio
conical nozzle and contour nozzle
Under and over expanded nozzles
Flow separation in nozzles
unconventional nozzles
Mass flow rate, Characteristic velocity, Thrust coefficient,
Efficiencies, Specific impulse
Numerical problems.

Archytas, 428 to 347 B.C.

Hero Engine, c. A.D. 10 to 70
Chinese Fire Arrows, A.D. 1232

Thrust is the force that propels a rocket or

spacecraft and is measured in pounds,
kilograms or Newtons.
The thrust F is the resultant of the forces
due to the pressures exerted on the inner
and outer walls by the combustion gases
and the surrounding atmosphere, taking the
boundary between the inner and outer
surfaces as the cross section of the exit of
the nozzle.

F mV j Pe Pa Ae

A spacecraft's engine ejects mass at a rate of 30 kg/s with

an exhaust velocity of 3,100 m/s. The pressure at the
nozzle exit is 5 kPa and the exit area is 0.7 m2. What is
the thrust of the engine in a vacuum?
Given:

m = 30 kg/s
Vj = 3,100 m/s
Ae = 0.7 m2
Pe = 5 kPa = 5,000 N/m2
Pa = 0
SOLUTION:

F mV j Pe Pa Ae
F = 30 3,100 + (5,000 - 0) 0.7
F = 96,500 N

MV M M V V u M
MV M M V V V V VJ M
MV MV M V V M M V V M M V VJ M
M V VJ M 0

V VJ

M
M

W .K .T M M i m

M m
substituting the above equations

V VJ

M i m

V V VJ
0

M i m

V VJ ln M i m

0
Mf
V VJ ln

Mi
Mi
V VJ ln
M
f

A spacecraft's engine ejects mass at a rate of 30 kg/s with an exhaust

velocity of 3,100 m/s. The pressure at the nozzle exit is 5 kPa and the
exit area is 0.7 m2 .it has an initial mass of 30,000 kg. What is the
change in velocity if the spacecraft burns its engine for one minute?
Given:
Mi = 30,000 kg

m = 30 kg/s
Vj = 3,100 m/s
t = 60 s
SOLUTION

M
i

V V j ln

M mt
i

30000
V 3100 ln

30000

30

60

V 192m / s

Mass Ratio:
The ratio of final mass of the rocker after all the propellant
has been consumed (Mf)to the initial mass before the
rocket operation (Mi).
M
Rm

Mi

Mu
Mi

Structural Mass Fraction

Ms
Mi

Payload Mass Fraction

Propellant Mass Fraction

Mi

A spacecraft's dry mass is 75,000 kg and the effective

exhaust gas velocity of its main engine is 3,100 m/s. How
much propellant must be carried if the propulsion system is
to produce a total change in velocity of 700 m/s?
Given:
Mf = 75,000 kg
Vj = 3,100 m/s
^V = 700 m/s
SOLUTION
Mi = Mf e(^V / Vj)
Mi = 75,000 e(700 / 3,100)
Mi = 94,000 kg

Propellant mass
Mp = Mo - Mf
Mp = 94,000 - 75,000
Mp = 19,000 kg

A 5,000 kg spacecraft is in Earth orbit travelling at a

velocity of 7,790 m/s. Its engine is burned to accelerate
it to a velocity of 12,000 m/s placing it on an escape
trajectory. The engine expels mass at a rate of 10 kg/s
and an effective velocity of 3,000 m/s. Calculate the
duration of the burn.
Given:

Mi
= 5,000 kg

m = 10 kg/s
C = 3,000 m/s

SOLUTION
^V = 12,000
- 7,790 = 4,210 m/s

t = Mi /m [ 1 - 1 / e(^V / C) ]
t = 5,000 / 10 [ 1 - 1 / e(4,210 / 3,000) ]
t = 377 s

Total Impulse
The momentum associated with the efflux of propellants from the
rocket to provide velocity to the rocket. The change in momentum is
called impulse.
The total impulse I is the thrust force F (which can vary with time) integrated over
t

the burning time t

I Fdt Ft mVJ t mVJ

0
Specific Impulse
The total impulse delivered per unit weight of propellant.

I SP

I mVJ t F


w
w
w

I SP

mVJ t mVJ
mVJ VJ

w
w
m g g

Thrust
The rate of change of impulse.

d
d
dm
F I mVJ
VJ mVJ
dt
dt
dt

Impulse to mass ratio

The ratio of total impulse to the initial mass of
the rocket.
I
Impulse to mass ratio
Mi

Thrust to mass ratio

The ratio of thrust to the initial mass of the
rocket.
F
Thrust to mass ratio
Mi

A rocket engine produces a thrust of 1,000 kN at sea

level with a propellant flow rate of 400 kg/s.
Calculate the specific impulse.
Given:
F = 1,000,000 N

m = 400 kg/s
SOLUTION
Isp = F / (q g)
Isp = 1,000,000 / (400 9.80665)
Isp = 255 s (sea level)

The ratio of the rate at which work is done by

the rocket to the rate of energy supplied to it.
P

Vehicle power
Vehicle power residual kinetic jet power

mVVJ
P
1
2
mVVJ m V VJ
2
V
2
2VV
VJ
P 2 J 2
2
V VJ
V
1
VJ

If series of rocket were put one on top of the other

and operated separately in stages one after the
other, the total velocity would be the sum of the
ideal velocities provided by the operation of each
stage of rocket.
V V1 V2 V3 ...... Vn
1
1
1
V VJ 1 ln

V
ln

........

V
ln
Jn
J2

Rm1
Rm 2
Rmn

Rocket

Based on energy

Based on

Based on

source.

propellant used

function

Chemical rocket

Liquid
propellant

Space rocket

Single stage

Multi stage

Solar rocket

Solid propellant

Booster rocket

Nuclear rocket

Hybrid

Sustainers

Electrical rocket

Based on stages

Attitude control

Missiles

Rocket nozzle is a device or a duct of

smoothly varying cross sectional area to
increase the velocity of a fluid at the expense
of pressure.

F mV j Pe Pa Ae

m t AV
t t e AeVe
Ae t Vt

At e Ve
PT
t e
Pe Tt

RTt
1

2 RTc Pe
1
1 Pc

Pt Pc Te Tc
Pc Pe Tc Tt

Tt
Tc
1

2 Pe
1

1
Pc

w.k .t

Tt
2

Tc 1

Pt 2 1

Pc 1
Te Pe

Tc Pc

2 1 Pc Pe

1
P

e Pc

2
1

1
1 2

Pc

Pe

2 Pe
1
1 Pc

2
1

2
1

P
2
1 e
1 Pc

1
2 1

Pc

Pe

P
2
1 e
1 Pc

m t AV
t t

t
c At RTt
c

Pt RTc Pc
At RTt
RTt Pc RTc
Pt Tc Pc At
Pc Tt RTc

Tt
Tc

2
m

2 1
m

1
2

Pc At

Pc At
RTc

RTc

1
2 1

2
Pc At
m

1
RTc

PA
PA
m c t c t
C
RTc

where C CharacteristicVelocity

2
1

F mV j Pe Pa Ae
2
F

1
2 1

Pc At
RTc

2 2 1
F Pc At

2 2 1
CF

2 RTc
P
1 e Pe Pa Ae
1 Pc

1
RTc

1
RTc

C CharacteristicVelocity

2 RTc Pe Pe Pa Ae
1

1
P
P Pc At
c c

2 RTc Pe Pe Pa Ae
1

1
Pc
Pc Pc At

Vj
CF

1. Hot gases are generated at a temperature of 2000K and a pressure of 15MPa in a rocket
chamber. The molecular mass of the gas is 22KJ/Kmole and the specific heat ratio of the
gas is 1.32. The gases are expanded to the ambient pressure of 0.1 Mpa in a C-D nozzle
having a throat area of 0.1 m2 . Calculate
i. Exit jet velocity
ii. Characteristic velocity
iii. Ideal optimum thrust coefficient
iv. Specific impulse and
v. Thrust.

solution

i.Exit jet velocity

1

2 RTc
P
VJ
1 e
1 Pc

2 R0Tc
1 Pe

Molecular mass 1 Pc

1.32 1

2 1.32 8.314 2000 0.1 1.32

VJ
1
15

22 1.32 1

VJ 2094m / s

ii.Characteristic velocity
2

1
2 1

0.671

R0Tc
1
1
RTc

Molecular mass

1
8.314 2000
1296m / s
0.671
22
1

2 2 1 1
2 RTc
0
C F

1
1
RTc

V
2094
I sp J
213.45s
g
9.81
C

1 Pe
1.615
Pc

F C 0 F Pc At 1.615 15 106 0.1 2.42 MN