Book Description

An analysis is presented on the quantitative effect of incomplete propellant vaporization on rocket-engine performance. A relation between characteristic exhaust velocity c* and the percentages of oxidant and fuel vaporized and burned is given. The analysis shows that c* efficiencies of 70 to 90 percent can be realized when only half the fuel is vaporized, whereas c* efficiencies of about 60 percent can be realized when half the oxidant is vaporized. The specific relations between c* and propellant vaporized are presented graphically for the hydrogen-fluorine, hydrogen-oxygen, ammonia-fluorine, and JP-4 - oxygen propellant combinations. The analysis is applied to experimental data for these propellant combinations.