Rocket Design - Classification of Rockets

propulsion

to push forward or drive an object forward

physical principle -- Newton's third law of motion

jet propulsion

a type of motion whereby a reaction force is imparted to a vehicle by the momentum of ejected matter (gas or liquid) at high speeds

air-breathing engines

engines that use oxygen from the atmosphere in the combustion of fuel

non air-breathing engines

engines carrying an oxygen supply; can be used both in the atmosphere and in outer space

rockets

nonair-breathing engines are commonly called _______

air-breathing propulsion systems

"duct jet propulsion" comprises devices which entrain and energize airflow inside a duct. They use atmospheric oxygen to burn fuel stored in the flight vehicle

turbojet engines

most widely used air-breathing propulsion system

air intake >> compressor >> combustion chamber >> turbine >> exhaust nozzle

turboprop engines

conventional aircraft propeller is usually mounted in front of the jet engine and in one type of engine is driven by a second, or free, turbine

propeller >> gear box >> air intake >> compressor >> combustion chamber >> turbine >> exhaust nozzle

turbofan engines

combine the best of both worlds between turbojets and turboprops as it employs a duct fan located at its inlet

air intake >> duct fan >> compressor /bypass air/ >> combustion chamber >> turbine >> exhaust nozzle

turboshaft engines

type of gas turbine engine specifically designed to produce rotational shaft power rather than jet thrust; high power-to-weight ratios

compressor >> combustion chamber >> compressor turbine >> power turbine -- power shaft >> exhaust

ramjet engine

a variant of an air breathing jet engine that does not include a rotary compressor; uses the engine's forward motion to compress the incoming air

inlet (M>1) >> compression (M<1) >> fuel injection >> flame holder >> combustion chamber >> nozzle (M=1) >> exhaust (M>1)

scramjet engine

air-breathing engine designed for hypersonic flight (typically Mach 5+) //supersonic combustion ramjet

inlet body >> supersonic compression >> fuel injection >> combustion >> nozzle >> supersonic exhaust

pulse-jet engine

similar to ramjet, however, the combustion is intermittent or pulsing rather than continuous as in a ramjet

air >> valve >> fuel spray >> igniter >> combustion chamber >> hot gases

bypass air

air that flows around the engine

ram effect

the partial compression of air into an engine during high flight speeds

flying stovepipe

A ramjet has been called a _____ because it is open at both ends and has only fuel nozzles in the middle

zero airspeed

A ramjet cannot function at ________________ and therefore cannot be used to power an aircraft in all phases of flight.

subsonic speed

the combustion that produces thrust in the ramjet occurs at a __________ in the combustor

non air-breathing propulsion systems

a class of jet propulsion that produces thrust by ejecting matter stored entirely in the flying vehicle

propellant

the matter ejected by a flying vehicle for propulsion

chemical combustion

energy source most commonly used in rocket propulsion

solid-propellant rocket

the combustion chamber carries the fuel and oxidizer mixed together in a solid state

liquid-propellant rocket

the pump forces fuel and oxidizer from their tanks into the combustion chamber

chemical rocket propulsion

a.k.a. chemical combustion, is a propulsion in which the thrust is provided by the product of a chemical reaction, usually burning (or oxidizing) a fuel.

bipropellant

common liquid rocket propellant; uses two separate propellants, a liquid fuel and liquid oxidizer

monopropellants

certain liquid chemicals can be made to form hot gas for thrust production by decomposition in a rocket chamber, such as ____

hydrogen peroxide

most common monopropellant

grain

the solid mass mixture of fuel and oxidizer

perforation

the hole cast down the center inside the metal or plastic case where the propellant grain is firmly cemented

burning rate

the number of pounds of gas generated per second

gaseous propellant

rocket engines use a stored high-pressure gas, such as air, nitrogen, or helium, as working fluid

hybrid propellant

rocket propulsion systems employ both liquid and solid propellant storage

nuclear rocket engines

a type of liquid propellant rocket engine where the power input comes from a single nuclear reactor

nuclear fission reactor rocket

heat can be generated by the fission of uranium in the solid reactor material and subsequently transferred to the working fluid

isotope decay engine

a radioactive material gives off radiation, which is readily converted into heat; generating electrical power in space vehicles

nuclear fusion reactor rocket

creating nuclear energy that can heat a working fluid through fusion; concerns about inadvertent spreading of radioactive materials in the earth environment

electric rocket propulsion

a class of propulsion which makes use of electrical power to accelerate a propellant by different possible electrical and/or magnetic means

the source of electric power is physically separate from the mechanism that produces the thrust

electrostatic engine

a.k.a. ion propulsion; a working fluid, typically xenon, is ionized and then the electrically charged heavy ions are accelerated to very high velocities by means of electrostatic fields

electromagnetic engine

a.k.a. magneto-plasma rocket; an electrical plasma is accelerated by the interaction between electric currents and magnetic fileds and ejected at high velocity

solar energy

provides power for spacecraft using the sun

solar cell

a.k.a. photovoltaic cell; any device that directly converts the energy of light into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect

solar thermal rockets

a concept; provide greater specific impulse than chemical rockets using the sun's energy to heat a propellant to extremely high temperatures and then expel the hot gas through a nozzle to provide thrust

solar sail

a big photon reflector surface

space launch vehicles

a.k.a. space boosters; has a specific space flight objective, such as an earth orbit or a moon landing; uses between two and five stages

rocket staging

the combination of several rocket sections, or stages, that fire in a specific order and then detach, so a ship can penetrate earth's atmosphere and reach space

serial staging

there is a small, second stage rocket that is placed on top of a larger first stage rocket

parallel staging

features one or multiple booster stages strapped to a central sustainer, as on the space shuttle

stage and a half

has a main core that acts like a sustainer stage and a booster stage that falls away during the flight

single staging

a single stage rocket

spacecraft

can be categorized as earth satellites, lunar, interplanetary, and trans-solar types; either placed into an orbit around earth or, if given sufficient velocity to escape earth's gravity, continues toward another destination in space