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Liquid Rocket Design

Course Description

This course will provide an in-depth examination of the design of modern liquid rockets, including the design of propellant feed systems and engine thrust chambers. The material will go beyond standard textbook information and show how modern tools and technologies can impact design decisions and lead to innovative solutions. Additionally, the course will discuss how a small team of engineers can produce sophisticated rocket systems. While the course will focus on medium to large propulsion systems suitable for launch vehicles and missiles, the approaches and technologies can be applied to smaller satellite propulsion systems.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for engineers and managers who wish to understand the issues, techniques, and approaches involved in the design of modern liquid rockets. A basic understanding of rocket analysis techniques would be helpful, but is not necessary to benefit from the course. Due to ITAR restrictions, the course is limited to U.S. citizens only.

Lecturers

Dr. Gary Flandro is Boling Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UTSI. He has devoted almost four decades to the study of oscillatory flow phenomena. He received his PhD from Caltech.

Dr. Jonathan French is an analyst at Software & Engineering Associates, Inc., Carson City, NV. He is currently developing improved versions of the standard combustion instability prediction algorithms (SSPP) that are universally used in solving combustion stability problems. He received his Ph.D. degree from UTSI.

Mr. Paul Gloyer is President of Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories LLC and is actively developing advanced liquid rocket propulsion technologies. Mr. Gloyer was the lead engineer on the PacAstro PA-X suborbital rocket program and the program manager of the PA-E liquid rocket engine program.

Dr. Joe Majdalani is professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering at UTSI. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah. He is known for his work on acoustic instability theory in solid rocket motors and vortex engine technology in both liquid and hybrid rocket applications.

Mr. Zachary Taylor is the Vice-President of Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories and is one of the nationʼs leading composite experts. Mr. Taylor developed the composite propellant tanks for the PA-X, USFE and Rocketplane-XP programs, including the successful development of composite LOX tanks.

Schedule

Monday

8:00 a.m. Registration UTSI Lobby
8:30 a.m. Welcome
8:30-4:00

  • Introduction
    • Overview
      • History
      • State-of-the-Art
      • Modern Approaches
    • Mission Architectures, Issues and Sizing
  • Propellant Feed Systems
    • Propellant Options
      • Cryogenic propellants
      • Storables
      • “Green” propellants
    • Propellant Storage
      • Propellant tank sizing & design
      • Metal tank design & fabrication
      • Composite tank design & fabrication
      • Cryo-composite tank issues

Tuesday

(8:00 - 4:00)

  • Propellant Delivery
    • Rocket Cycles
    • Pressurization Options
    • Pressure Supply Sizing
    • Pressure Fed System Design
    • Turbopump Fed System Design
    • Pump Design
    • Turbine Design
    • Alternate Pump Designs

Wednesday

(8:00 - 4:00)

  • Thrust Chamber Analysis & Modeling
    • Overview
    • Chamber Flow Fields
      • Conventional Flows
      •  Advanced Flow Fields
    • Nozzles
      • Theory & Analysis
      • Conical and Bell Nozzles
      • Plug and Spike Nozzles
      • Nozzle Analysis and Simulation Tools
    • Chambers
      • Combustion Chemistry
      • Combustion Analysis Tools
      • Combustion Process
      • Combustion Performance

 

 

Thursday

(8:00 - 4:00)

  • Rocket Chamber Stability
    • History of “Combustion Stability”
    • Modern Rocket Chamber Stability
      • Waveforms
      • Empirical data
      • Analysis
      • Results and Predictions
    • Instability Mitigation
      • Historical Trial & Error
      • Resonators & Baffles
      • Modern Mitigation Approaches
  • Chamber Design
    • Chamber Design Approach and Issues
      • Thermal Management Issues
      • Cooling Techniques
      • Combustion Management
    • Ablative Chamber Design
      • Ablative Cooling Process
      • Ablative Materials
      • Ablative Chamber Fabrication
    • Regen Chamber Design
      • Regen Cooling Process
      • Regen Design and Analysis
      • Regen Chamber Fabrication

Friday

(8:00 - 4:00)

  • Injector Design
    • Requirements and Issues
      • Combustion Performance
      • Throttling
      • Stability
    • Impinging Elements
      • Analysis and Sizing
    • Pintle Elements
      • Analysis and Sizing
    • Swirl Elements
      • Analysis and Sizing
    • Manifold Desigh
    • Injector Fabrication
  • Rocket Perfomance
    • Analysis
      • Efficiency Calculations
      • Loss Calculations
    • Testing
      • Traditional Test Approach
      • Modern Test Approach

 


Contact Us

  • Becky Stines, Director
    931-393-7276
    1-888-822-UTSI ext. 276
     bstines@utsi.edu
  • Betty Bright, Administrative Support
    1-888-822-UTSI ext. 277
    bbright@utsi.edu
  • Continuing Education
    The UT Space Institute
    Mail Stop 15
    411 B. H. Goethert Pkwy
    Tullahoma, Tennessee, 37388-9700
  • Fax (931) 393-7346