UCK 421E
PROPULSION
COURSE PROJECT
Instructor: Onur Tuncer, PhD
Deadline: December 28th 2023 @ 23.30 sharp
Submit a report in .pdf format please discuss your findings
Also mail your source codes in a .zip file to
sukuroglu20@[Link]
Topic I: New generation hybrid rockets offer both low cost and also safe access option to
earth’s orbit. Nowadays a number of start-up companies across the globe are competing against
each other to bring this solution as a viable commercial alternative and become a game changer
in small satellite launch business. A hybrid-propellant rocket is a rocket with a rocket motor,
which uses rocket propellants in two different phases. One solid and the other either gas or
liquid. The hybrid is inherently safer than other rocket designs. The idea is to store the oxidizer
as a liquid and the fuel as a solid, producing a design that is less susceptible to chemical
explosion than conventional solid and bi-propellant liquid designs. The fuel is contained within
the rocket combustion chamber in the form of a cylinder with a circular channel called a port
hollowed out along its axis. Upon ignition, a diffusion flame forms over the fuel surface along
the length of the port. The combustion is sustained by heat transfer from the flame to the solid
fuel causing continuous fuel vaporization until the oxidizer flow is turned off.
You are given the task to analyze the performance of a hybrid N2O/paraffin rocket. Paraffin
fuel contains 10% (by weight) aluminum additive in order to enhance performance.
Approximate chemical formula for paraffin fuel is C 32H66, its enthalpy at 293 K is -698.52
kJ/mol. Both fuel and oxidizer are at 293 K prior to combustion. Thrust chamber pressure is 40
bars. Nozzle exit area to throat area ratio is 20. Assume combustion products are at chemical
equilibrium.
Using NASA’s CEA (Chemical Equilibrium Analysis) program (see NASA RP-1311, PART
II, 1996T) plot c* and specific impulse Isp for a range of oxidizer to fuel ratios 0.5<O/F<4.0.
Assume an ideal nozzle. Perform calculations both at the sea level and at vacuum. Plot your
results!
You can download the necessary files to run the program here:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
To run the code, click on the executable and it will open up a .dos shell. The program will
prompt you for an input data file. Type in the file name, without an extension. The program
will generate an output file name called <[Link]>. (60 points)
1/2
Topic II: The Pratt & Whitney JT9D engine was the first high bypass ratio jet engine to power
a wide-body airliner. Its initial application was the Boeing 747-100, the original "Jumbo Jet".
It was Pratt & Whitney's first high-bypass-ratio turbofan.
The JT9D was built using titanium alloys and nickel alloys. The engine featured a single-stage
fan, a three-stage low-pressure compressor and an eleven-stage high-pressure compressor
coupled to a two-stage high-pressure turbine and four-stage low-pressure turbine. The JT9D-3,
the earliest certified version of the engine, weighed 8,608 lb (3,905 kg) and produced 43,500 lbf
(193,000 N) thrust. The JT9D was developed starting in September 1965 as part of the design
of the C-5 Galaxy. A contract was awarded to Pratt & Whitney to study the type of large engine
needed, but the production contract was eventually awarded to General Electric and
their TF39 turbofan. The JT9D was, however, chosen by Boeing to power the 747. The engine's
first test run took place in a test rig in December 1966 at East Hartford, Connecticut, with the
engine's first flight in June 1968 mounted on a Boeing B-52E that served as a 747 testbed. Its
production ceased in 1990.
You are asked to analyze the performance of JT9D engine using TMATS Simulink library
developed by NASA. Plot the variation of the TSFC (thrust-specific-fuel-consumption)
contours within the following flight envelope;
Mach number between 0 and 0.9 with 0.3 Mach number increments,
Altitude between sea level and 40,000 feet with 10,000 feet increments.
Perform your calculations for both ISA standard-day and hot-day conditions. Discuss your
results thoroughly! (40 points)
2/2
