AE 708 AEROSPACE PROPULSION

Question Bank-II

1. An early rocket design using a certain propellant achieves a chamber temperature Tc =

3300 K and a chamber pressure Pc = 2 MPa. It is limited by wall cooling problems to
the above chamber pressure. Under these conditions a hot gas side wall temperature
Twh = 1100 K is observed at the throat. A new material will allow a higher Twh of 1300
K. The fraction of total heat transfer due to radiation remains unchanged. Hot gas side
properties like c*, μ, kg may also be assumed to be unchanged. Other relevant data for
the rocket are; the throat diameter is 0.3 m (constant) and the thrust coefficient of the
nozzle is 1.6. If the heat flux to the throat is the same as before, determine the thrust
developed by the rocket with the old and new material.

2. A Diwali rocket motor manufacturer has the following claim. He says that the rocket
motor that he has manufactured gives better performance because the flow gets
chocked at the exit cross section. The interesting part of it is there is no change in the
area from the combustion chamber to the exit (ac/at =1). He has furnished the following
details, the burning rate law for the propellant is r  aPc where a = 4×10-5 m/Pa0.5 and
n

n = 0.5. The burning surface area is 10 cm2 and the exit area=combustor area = 2 cm2.
The chamber temperature is 1900 K and molecular weight of burnt gases is 60. The
density of the propellant is 1400 kg/m3. The ambient pressure is 1 atm and γ = 1.2.
Verify his claim and justify your answer.

3. Consider the performance of a solid propellant rocket under the conditions that change
with time. The stagnation temperature is constant at 3000 K. The stagnation pressure
changes with time as follows Pc = 20 -0.04 t, 0 < t < 100 s for Pc in MPa and t in seconds.
The nozzle has an area ratio of 5 and a throat area of 0.3 m2. It exhausts into vacuum.
The fluid may be considered to have a γ = 1.4 and molecular weight of 20. How do the
following vary with time? (a) Exhaust velocity, (b) Mass flow rate, (c) Thrust. Also
calculate the value of exhaust velocity, mass flow rate and thrust at t=50 s.

4. The burning-rate data for propellant is as follows: at 1.4 MPa burn rate is 1 mm/s and
at 10 MPa burn rate is 4 mm/s. Determine the ratio of burning area to throat area
required for a steady combustion pressure Pc of 7 MPa and a combustion temperature
of Tc = 2500 K. The propellant density is 1900 kg/m3. The combustion gas specific heat
ratio γ = 1.2 and the molecular weight is 20.5. If the burning area ratio Ab / At were to
increase from the value determined above by 0.7% per second, how long would it take
for the chamber pressure to double?

5. The grain in a solid propellant rocket is hollow cylinder bonded to the casing so that it
burns only on its inner cylindrical surface and from the nozzle end. Its density is 1650
kg/m3, and its burning rate is characterized be r = 13.3 (Pc MPa)0.63 mm/s. At a point
in the burning period when Pc = 0.7 MP, the grain d/D=0.4 and L/D =6, L being the
grain length and d and D being its inner and outer diameters. Determine the rate of
 change of pressure assuming the gas temperature stays constant at 2750 K, molecular
weight of gases is 26, throat diameter is 0.2 m and that γ = 1.24 and D = 1 m.

6. A solid propellant rocket motor is operating at a chamber pressure of 0.5 MPa and
chamber temperature of 3300 K. The ambient pressure is 0.1 MPa and only a
convergent nozzle is used. The propellant is an end burning grain of Ab = 78 cm2. The
throat area is 10 cm2. The density of the propellant is 1750 kg and its pressure index n
= 0.5. The molecular weight of burnt gases is 26 and γ = 1.2. Now suddenly due to a
failure of the thermal insulation, a hole of area 2 cm2 is formed. Determine the thrust
produced by the rocket motor before and after the hole is formed. At what value of n
would the thrust remain unaltered before and after the formation of the hole and why?

7. The mass depletion pattern for a solid rocket is approximately given by the equation
(M(t) = M0 – 1300 * t ) where t is time in seconds , 0 < t < 100. The satellite which was
planned to be launch using the rocket has an optical instrument which has been cleared
to fly with a maximum acceleration of 3 g. The solid grain is designed for an initial
temperature of 20 oC with a burn rate of 20 mm/s. On the day of the launch the
temperature at the launch site was 32 oC. Will it be possible to launch on that day? If
not, estimate the min initial temperature for the launch clearance. Take density of
propellant as 1700 kg/m3. Assume initial mass of the vehicle as 250,000 kg. The exit
velocity of gases coming out of the nozzle is 2750 m/s and the initial temperature
sensitivity of burn rate to 0.005 K-1.

8. A solid propellant in a tactical missile burns at the following rates at an initial

temperature of -10 C experienced somewhere along the border with Pakistan in Jammu
and Kashmir; 3 mm/s at 20 atm pressure and 8 mm/s at 70 atm pressure. The σp of the
propellant is 0.005 at 20 atm and 0.0095 at 70 atm. The army has complained that if
the same missile is used along Indo-Pak border in Rajastan (initial temperature of 40
C) the missile explodes and they suspect that the propellant might be getting unstable
at 40 C. Can you check for the stability of the propellant at this temperature? What is
the maximum initial temperature at which this missile can operate stably?

9. A propellant grain designed to obtain a boost and sustain thrust curve is made of dual
end burning grain with 2 different propellants A and B. The propellant marked A has a
higher burn rate of rA = 10P0.58 and propellant marked B has a lower burn rate of rB =
7P0.28 (pressure in atm and burn rate in mm/s). The throat area of the nozzle is 10 mm2.
The adiabatic flame temperature and molecular weight obtained with propellant A are
2720 K, 26 and with propellant B are 2160 K, 23, respectively. Assume γ = 1.2. Density
of both propellants is 1700 kg/m3. All relevant dimensions are as shown in the figure.
Determine the two equilibrium (boost and sustain) pressures. Calculate the transition
time required for the change from boost to sustain pressure. Determine the overall burn
time for the grain including the transition time. State any relevant assumptions made,
if any.

10. A thermocouple is embedded inside the propellant as shown in the figure. Assuming
that the thermocouple has an instantaneous response, indicate the time taken from t=0
 to when the thermocouple (a) just records a signal (slightly higher temperature than the
initial temperature T0 (b) 50 % of surface temperature Ts and (c) 100 % of Ts. The
typical values are Ts = 850 K, T0 = 300 K, k = 0.21 W/mK, density = 1950 kg/m3, Cp
= 1470 J/kgK, burn rate r = 3.3 mm/s.

11. The PS1 motor has a thrust of 4500 kN, mass flow rate of 1400 kg/s, chamber pressure
Pc = 60 bar, Tc = 3500 K and throat diameter of 0.8 m. Assume the flow to be optimally
expanded at sea level conditions and that a 150 conical nozzle is used in the divergent
portion and 450 conical nozzle in the convergent portion. The rocket motor chamber
outer diameter is 2.8 m (you can assume negligible wall thickness). The nozzle is to be
constructed from steel of 3 mm thickness having a thermal conductivity of 26 W/m K.
Take μg = 6 × 10-5 kg/m s, kg = 0.18 W/m K. Now if water is used to cool the nozzle of
this rocket motor, calculate the flow rate of water (cp = 4.18 kJ/kg K, μl = 0.5 × 10-3
kg/m s, kl = 0.6 W/m K, Pr = 4) required, if water enters the regenerative coolant jacket
at the divergent end at 293 K and the exit temperature at the beginning of the convergent
section is to be limited to 370 K. You can assume the nozzle to be made of 2 parts only
(convergent and divergent) for your heat transfer calculations. What would be the
highest wall temperature on the hot gas side?

12. A solid propellant rocket motor is operating at a chamber pressure of 0.5 MPa and
chamber temperature of 3300 K. The throat diameter is 10 cm. The density of the
propellant is 1750 kg/m3 and its pressure index n = 0.5. The molecular weight of burnt
gases is 26 and γ = 1.2. The starting port diameter is 15 cm. At a section close to the
nozzle the ratio of burn rate to non-erosive burn rate is given as 2. The relevant data
are as follows; cp for solid propellant = 1200 J/kg K, Ts = 850 K, T0 = 300 K, Hs =
400 kJ/kg,  = 610-5 kg/ms, k=0.05 W/m K. Determine the erosive and non-erosive
burn rates.

13. A solid propellant motor casing is made of a material, which has a maximum allowable
wall temperature of 450 K. Unfortunately, the insulation lining was not used between
the wall and the propellant. If there is a provision to stop the combustion of the
propellant (by rapid depressurization) at what instant after the propellants starts to burn
would you recommend it. The propellant properties are as given below Ts = 850 K, T∞
= 350 K, k = 0.21 W/mK, density = 1950 kg/m3, Cp = 1470 J/kgK, burn rate = 2.3 mm/s
and the web thickness is 0.1 m. Cross-section of the propellant is given below.

14. A liquid-propellant combustion chamber is 1 m long and 0.3 m in diameter. The

temperature and pressure in the chamber are uniform at approximately 3200 K and 15
MPa, and the diameter Reynolds number of the flow through the chamber is of the
order of 107. The chamber wall is type 301 stainless steel 2.5 mm thick and is
 maintained at 110 K on the outside surface. Radiation is one-third the total heat flux.
What would be the steady-state inner surface temperature?

Use the following data:

Thermal conductivity of stainless steel = 26 W/mK,
Thermal conductivity of chamber gases = 0.17 W/mK.
Prandtl number for chamber gases 0.7

15. An experimental rocket thrust chamber has an outside wall temperature of 400 K at the
throat, with a 3200 K chamber temperature. The local heat transfer rate is measured to
be 15 MW/m2, of which 25% may be assumed due to radiation. If the wall is of stainless
steel 2.5 mm thick with k = 26 W/m-K, and if the coolant surface area is the same as
the hot-gas surface area, (a) what is the inner wall temperature? (b) It is expected that
this temperature will cause failure in the actual application. The throat is to be lined
with a ceramic of conductivity k = 8 W/m-K to protect the metal. Assuming that the
fraction of heat transfer by radiation is unchanged and that all gas properties are
unchanged, what ceramic thickness is necessary to reduce the peak metal temperature
to 1370 K while the coolant side remains at 400 K? The heat flux is steady and the
effects of the wall curvature and axial heat conduction can be considered negligible.

16. An early rocket design using a propellant at 3000 K is limited by wall-cooling problems
to a chamber pressure of 2 MPa. Under these conditions a hot-side wall temperature,
Twh, of 1100 K is observed at the throat. A new material will allow an increase of T wh
to 1300 K. What new combustion chamber pressure will be allowed by this new
material if you assume that its resistance to heat transfer (L/kw) is about the same as
the old, and that the coolant side temperature TL and film coefficient hL do not change?
The fraction of total heat transfer due to radiation may also be assumed to be
unchanged.

Data from the original rocket (at the throat):

TL = 300 K (coolant temperature), Tog = 3300 K (propellant temperature), L = 3.8
mm (wall thickness), kw = 22 W/m · K (wall conductivity), hL = 0.7 MW/m2K
(coolant film coefficient). The wall is sufficiently thin that heat transfer through it
may be approximated as plane one-dimensional.

17. Determine and plot the pressure time curve of the following grain geometry. Calculate
and mark all the critical points on the plot clearly. The red arrow shows the initial
burning surface area.
0.25 m 0.05 m

0.3 m
L= 1 m
Propellant data: density: 1700 kg/m3; burn rate = 15 mm/s at 70 bar; pressure
index = 0.4; adiabatic flame temperature of propellant burning = 3000 K;
Nozzle: throat diameter = 20 mm; nozzle area ratio = 20; assume nozzle operating
at optimum condition. Assume specific heat ratio of combustion gases to be 1.2
and molecular weight of 27 g/mol.

Is there any use of such a grain geometry? Explain your answer.