Air-Breathing Propulsion in Spaceplanes

This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary and concepts related to air-breathing propulsion systems discussed in the lecture on propulsion.

Air-Breathing Engine

A propulsion system that uses oxygen from the atmosphere for combustion, as opposed to carrying all oxidizers like in rockets.

Specific Impulse (Isp)

A measure of the efficiency of rocket and jet engines, defined as thrust per unit weight flow of propellant.

Specific Thrust (Tsp)

Thrust produced per unit air flow, a critical performance metric for air-breathing engines.

Thrust Coefficient (CF)

A dimensionless number that characterizes the performance of a nozzle, related to the exhaust velocity and pressure conditions.

Equivalence Ratio (ER)

The ratio of fuel-to-air flow in a combustion process, crucial for analyzing fuel efficiency in air-breathing engines.

Mass Ratio (MR)

The ratio of the total mass of the rocket (including fuel) to the mass of the payload, important for understanding rocket performance.

Choked Nozzle

A nozzle condition where the flow reaches its maximum speed, typically in supersonic regimes.

Stoichiometric Ratio

The ideal ratio of reactants (fuel and oxidizer) in a combustion process that produces complete combustion.

Mach Number

A dimensionless quantity representing the ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium.

Lifecycle Cost

The total cost of ownership over the life of a system, including acquisition, operation, and disposal costs.

Rocket Propulsion

A form of propulsion that works by expelling mass (exhaust) at high speeds, allowing spacecraft to operate in a vacuum.

Ramjet Engine

A type of air-breathing engine that operates best at high speeds, using the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air.

Turbojet Engine

A type of jet engine that uses a gas turbine to compress air and combust fuel to produce thrust.