Rocket Types

EGR 4347 Analysis

and Design of
Propulsion Systems
Rocket Propulsion

 Ideal Rocket Thrust

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Rocket
Propulsion
Rocket Propulsion

Rocket Propulsion Elements – Sutton and Biblarz

Rocket Propulsion

Rocket Propulsion Elements – Sutton and Biblarz

Rocket Propulsion
Chemical Rockets

 Liquid – typical O2 and H2

 Solid

Scientific American – March 2000

Liquid Rockets

Scientific American – March 2000

Solid Rockets

Scientific American – March 2000

Solid Rockets
Rocket Performance – Mars Mission

 Thrust – force 1 N  ¼ lbf

 Exhaust Speed – Measure of fuel efficiency
 Sample Burn Time – How long the rocket must fire to
accelerate a 25-ton payload from low earth orbit to
escape velocity. The time is inversely related to the
thrust.
 Sample fuel ratio – fraction of the total spacecraft
mass taken up by propellant. The amount of fuel is
exponentially related to the exhaust speed.

Scientific American – March 2000

 Rocket Performance
Type Thrust (N) Exhaust Speed Burn Time Fuel ratio (%)
(km/s)
Chemical 110K 4.5 21 min 55
Scientific American – March 2000

Nuclear Rockets

 Tested in 1960s  Reactors can generate

 Hydrogen heated to electricity
2,500 deg C  Public opposition
 Rocket Performance
Type Thrust (N) Exhaust Speed Burn Time Fuel ratio (%)
(km/s)
Chemical 110,000 4.5 21 min 55
Nuclear 67,000 9.0 27 min 32
ION

 1950s  Fuel – cesium or xenon

 Electrical fields  Cathode dumps
accelerate particles electrons into flow at exit
 Grids get in the way

Scientific American – March 2000

ION

Rocket Propulsion Elements – Sutton and Biblarz

 Rocket Performance
Type Thrust (N) Exhaust Speed Burn Time Fuel ratio (%)
(km/s)
Chemical 110,000 4.5 21 min 55
Nuclear 67,000 9 27 min 32
Ion 30 30 79 days 22
Hall Effect

 1970s Russia  Xenon

 Radial Magnetic Field  No grids

Scientific American – March 2000

Hall Effect

Rocket Propulsion Elements – Sutton and Biblarz

 Rocket Performance
Type Thrust (N) Exhaust Speed Burn Time Fuel ratio (%)
(km/s)
Chemical 110,000 4.5 21 min 55
Nuclear 67,000 9 27 min 32
Ion 30 30 79 days 22
Hall Effect 30 15 90 days 38
 Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD)

 Magnetic acceleration
 Magnetic field electrically generated

Scientific American – March 2000

 Rocket Performance
Type Thrust (N) Exhaust Speed Burn Time Fuel ratio (%)
(km/s)
Chemical 110,000 4.5 21 min 55
Nuclear 67,000 9 27 min 32
Ion 30 30 79 days 22
Hall Effect 30 15 90 days 38
MPD 100 20 - 100 21-25 6.7 - 31
days
Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT)

 Argon Fuel  200 times a second

 Radial Magnetic Field  No electrodes

Scientific American – March 2000

 Rocket Performance
Type Thrust (N) Exhaust Speed Burn Time Fuel ratio (%)
(km/s)
Chemical 110,000 4.5 21 min 55
Nuclear 67,000 9 27 min 32
Ion 30 30 79 days 22
Hall Effect 30 15 90 days 38
MPD 100 20 - 100 21-25 6.7 - 31
days
PIT 20 50 110 days 14
VASIMR

 Variable Specific  Ionized propellant

Impulse Magnetoplasma (Hydrogen)
Rocket  Magnetic fields
 Radio waves heat fuel

Scientific American – March 2000

VASIMR
 Rocket Performance
Type Thrust (N) Exhaust Speed Burn Time Fuel ratio (%)
(km/s)
Chemical 110,000 4.5 21 min 55
Nuclear 67,000 9 27 min 32
Ion 30 30 79 days 22
Hall Effect 30 15 90 days 38
MPD 100 20 - 100 21-25 days 6.7 - 31
PIT 20 50 110 days 14
VASIMR H 40 300 53 days 2.4
VASIMR L 1,200 10 2.1 days 46
 Solar Sails

 9 N per square km
 Large fragile structure
 NASA working on Magnetic “sail” to catch sun
particles

Scientific American – March 2000