SRM UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

MODEL EXAM
AS1018 – ROCKET PROPULSION
MAX MARKS: 80
PART – B (5x4=20 MARKS)
(Answer any 5 out of 7)
1. The propellant grain design is the most challenging task in a solid propellant rocket.
Elaborate this statement
2. Draw a neat sketch of pyrotechnic and pyrogen igniter and name the parts.
3. A bipropellant spacecraft thruster using MMH-MON3 has the following data:
Thrust developed 15 N
Chamber pressure 0.95 MPa
Expansion ratio 20
Thrust coefficient CF 1.85
Characteristic velocity C* 1600 m,
Characteristic length of Thrust chamber, L* 950 mm.
Calculate the exhaust jet velocity, throat area and exit area of the nozzle.
4. List down four important properties of Liquid propellants. Give examples.
5. What are the advantages of Liquid rocket motor over solid rocket motor?
6. Compare MPD thruster and PPT thruster.
7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of advanced propulsion system?

PART – C (5X12=60 MARKS)

(Answer all the questions)
8.a) A solid rocket motor has following characteristics. Sea level thrust 15000N, burn
duration= 15 seconds, chamber pressure =5 MPa, specific heat ratio= 1.2, chamber
temperature =2800K, burn rate= 8 mm/sec at 7.5 MPa, Propellant density= 1600kg/m3,
molecular mass 28 kg/ k mole. Assuming a neutral burning and an operating at sea level
calculate (i) Characteristic velocity (ii)Exhaust jet velocity (iii) Thrust coefficient at
optimum expansion (iv) Specific impulse at sea level (v) Nozzle throat area (vi)Weight
of propellant and (vii) Burning surface area.
(OR)
8.b) An end burning solid propellant having a throat diameter of 28 mm is employed as the
sustainer of a missile, needs to provide a constant thrust of 5 KN. If a double base
propellant with a burn rate law, r= 0.004 P0.5, where 'P' is in MPa and 'r' is in mm/s is
used, determine the diameter and length of propellant grain of the sustainer has to
operate for 200 sec. Assume Specific impulse: 1500 Ns/kg, characteristic velocity=
1600m/s and density of propellant= 1540 kg/m3.
9.a) A solid propellant rocket has hollow cylindrical propellant grain having an inner
diameter of 200 mm and outer diameter of 600 mm. The length of the grain is 1500 mm.
The burning is radically outward from the inner cylindrical surface. The throat diameter
of the nozzle is 100mm. The propellant burn rate law is r= 1.5875 P0.3mm/s. “P” is
expressed in Pa. The characteristic velocity of the propellant is 1400 m/s and the density
is 1600 kg/m3.Calculate the Initial chamber pressure and final chamber pressure
(OR)
9.b) The initial burning surface area of a cylindrical propellant grain of outer diameter
300mm has the configuration of a square hole of dimensions 150 mm. The length of the
grain is 400 mm and the grain is inhibited from burning at the ends. If the propellant has
a burn rate law given by a70 = 5 mm/s; n=0.3, determine: A) initial equilibrium pressure
in the rocket chamber b) chamber pressure after 2 seconds of burning c) maximum
chamber pressure, d) web thickness, and e) propellant sliver. The C* of the propellant is
1680 m/s and the nozzle throat is 35 mm in diameter. The density of the propellant grain
is 1700 kg/m3.

10.a) A cryogenic rocket using LH2 – LOX propellants has the following characteristics:
Thrust developed 200 KN
Chamber pressure 6 MPa
Specific impulse 443 seconds
Mixture ratio 5.0
Characteristic length of chamber, L* 1.3 m
Thrust coefficient, CF 1.85
Burn duration 595 seconds
Density of LH2 750 kg/m3
Density of LOX 1150 kg/m3
Calculate the Volume of thrust chamber, Volume flow rate of fuel and oxidizer
(OR)
10.b) A liquid propellant rocket of UDMH-N2O4 system with a specific impulse of 3000N.s/kg
develops a thrust of 750 KN at a chamber pressure of 6 MPa and burns for 200 seconds.
The mixture ratio of propellants is 2 and the tank pressure of fuel and oxidizer are
0.32MPa and 0.40 MPa respectively. If the supply pressure of both he the propellants to
the thrust chamber is 7 MPa. Determine the power required to derive UDMH pump and
N2O4 pump. Assume density of UDMH = 790 kg/m3 and the density of
N2O4=1400kg/m3. If the specific speed (Ns) of UDMH pump is 0.45 and that of N2O4
pump is 0.67, calculate the speed in rpm of UDMH pump and N2O4 pump.

11.a) Determine the hole sizes and the angle setting for a multiple-hole, doublet impinging
stream injector that uses alcohol and liquid oxygen as propellants. The resultant
 momentum should be axial, and the angle between the oxygen and fuel jets (Yo+Yf)
should be 600. Assume the following
(Cd)o 0.87
(Cd)f 0.91
Chamber pressure 2.068MPa
Fuel pressure 2.758MPa
Density of Oxidizer 1137.31kg/m3
Oxygen pressure 2.62MPa
Density of Fuel 816.942kg/m3
Number of jet pairs 4
Specific Heat Ratio 1.20
Thrust 1112.06N
Actual specific impulse 218 sec
(OR)
11.b) Estimate the mass and volume of nitrogen required to pressurize and N2 O4 - MMH feed
system for a 4500 N thrust chamber of 25sec duration ( CF= 0.92(the ideal), Is = 285 sec
at 6894 N/m2 and expansion to 1 atm). The chamber pressure is 20 atm (abs.) and the
mixture ratio is 1.65. The propellant tank pressure is 30 atm, and the initial gas tan
pressure is 150 atm. Allow for 3% excess propellant and 50% excess gas to allow some
nitrogen to dissolve the propellant. The nitrogen regulator requires that the gas tank
pressure does not fall below 29 atm.

12.a) Explain the operating principle of an Arc Jet Propulsion with their merits and demerits.
(OR)
12.b) Briefly describe the working of Magneto Plasma Dynamic thruster with neat sketches

13.a) What is meant by nuclear fission and fusion? Explain the operation of a nuclear
propulsion system. What are their advantages and disadvantages?
(OR)
13.b) What is meant by Ion propulsion technique? Explain the working principle of gridded
Ion thruster.