Aerospace Propulsion

T. W. Lee, Peter Belobaba, Jonathan Cooper, Allan Seabridge, Peter Belobaba, Jonathan Cooper, Allan Seabridge

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781118307984
• eBook ISBN: 9781118534878
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Aeronautic & Astronautic Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Aerospace propulsion devices embody some of the most advanced technologies, ranging from materials, fluid control, and heat transfer and combustion. In order to maximize the performance, sophisticated testing and computer simulation tools are developed and used.

Aerospace Propulsion comprehensively covers the mechanics and thermal-fluid aspects of aerospace propulsion, starting from the fundamental principles, and covering applications to gas-turbine and space propulsion (rocket) systems. It presents modern analytical methods using MATLAB and other advanced software and includes essential elements of both gas-turbine and rocket propulsion systems. Gas turbine coverage includes thermodynamic analysis, turbine components, diffusers, compressors, turbines, nozzles, compressor-turbine matching, combustors and afterburners. Rocket coverage includes chemical rockets, electrical rockets, nuclear and solar sail.

Key features:

• Both gas-turbine and rocket propulsion covered in a single volume
• Presents modern analytical methods and examples
• Combines fundamentals and applications, including space applications
• Accompanied by a website containing MATLAB examples, problem sets and solutions

Aerospace Propulsion is a comprehensive textbook for senior undergraduate graduate and aerospace propulsion courses, and is also an excellent reference for researchers and practicing engineers working in this area.

1

Introduction to Propulsion Systems

Propulsion systems include some of the most advanced technologies. The high performance requirements, at low system weight, necessitate advanced thermal-fluid design, materials and system integration. The thrust, generated through a simple-looking principle of conservation of momentum (or Newton's second law), enables many human capabilities, such as high-speed civil transport (approximately 12 hours for trans-Pacific flights), affordable personal aircraft, advanced military aircrafts (e.g. F-22 Raptor, Sukhoi), Earth orbital operations (Space Shuttle) and numerous satellites, planetary probes and possible missions. The propulsion technology can also lead to potentially destructive uses, as in cruise missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles and many other weapons propelled at high speeds.

A typical gas-engine shown in Figure 1.1 achieves the high exit momentum through a sequence of devices that include compressor, combustor, turbine and nozzle. The ambient air is ingested in gas-turbine engines. The compressor consists of a series of rotating blades, which aerodynamically is a set of airfoils using rotary motion to generate a pressure differential as the air traverses the blade elements. The air pressure is increased in the compressor, and sent into the combustor where the fuel is injected, mixed with the air, and burned. The air energy (enthalpy) increase is now used in the turbines to convert some of the thermal energy (enthalpy) into shaft power. This shaft power is used to power the compressor, by simply having a common axis between the turbine and the compressor in turbojet engines. However, in turbofan engines, the turbine power is used to run both the compressor and the fan. The fan adds enthalpy to the air stream in the fan section. The energy available at the end of the turbine section is converted to air kinetic energy in the nozzle. The high kinetic energy of the exhaust stream also has high momentum, which is useful in generating thrust. Ramjets are a much simpler form of turbojet engines, where “ram compression” of incoming stream at supersonic speeds is sufficient to elevate the pressure of the air. Fuel then needs to be injected into this high-pressure air stream and the resulting flame stabilized in the ramjet combustor, for sustained thrust.

Figure 1.1 A typical gas-turbine engine. Copyright United Technologies Corporation.

Advances in practically all aspect of engineering, including propulsion technology, can be found in the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor (Figure 1.2) that entered service in 2005. New materials such as advanced alloys and composite materials are used in the Raptor airframe, aerodynamic surfaces and engine components. The power plant in the F-22 consists of Pratt-Whitney afterburning turbofans (F119-PW-100) with a high efficiency, which provide supersonic cruise speeds with long range and unmatched agility with pitch-vectoring thrust nozzles. But these technological advances came with a high price tag. Many of the new technologies were researched and developed specifically as part of the F-22 project. If all the development costs are added in, the F-22 carries a price tag of over $300 million per aircraft. Table 1.1 shows some of the main specifications of the F-22, including some of the propulsion characteristics.

Figure 1.2 F-22 Raptor, with advanced embedded technologies, including the power plant (F119-PW-100). Courtesy of US Department of Defence.

Table 1.1 F-22 specifications.

...

Length	62.1 ft (18.9 m)
Wingspan	44.5 ft (13.56 m)
Height	16.8 ft (5.08 m)
Maximum take-off weight	80 000 lb (36 288 kg)
Power plant	Two Pratt-Whitney F119-PW-100 pitch-vectoring turbofans with afterburners
Total thrust	70 000 lb
Maximum speed	High altitude: Mach 2.42 or 1600 mph (2570 km/h) Low altitude: Mach 1.72 or 1140 mph (1826 km/h)

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Series Preface
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Introduction to Propulsion Systems
• Chapter 2: Principle of Thrust
• Chapter 3: Basic Analyses of Gas-Turbine Engines
• Chapter 4: Gas-Turbine Components: Inlets and Nozzles
• Chapter 5: Compressors and Turbines
• Chapter 6: Combustors and Afterburners
• Chapter 7: Gas-Turbine Analysis with Efficiency Terms
• Chapter 8: Basics of Rocket Propulsion
• Chapter 9: Rocket Propulsion and Mission Analysis
• Chapter 10: Chemical Rockets
• Chapter 11: Non-Chemical Rockets
• Appendices
• Index