comp_32

A small, solid fuel rocket motor is tested on a horizontal thrust stand at atmospheric conditions. The
chamber (essentially a large tank) absolute pressure and temperature are maintained at 4.2 MPa (abs) and
3333 K, respectively. The rocket’s converging-diverging nozzle is designed to expand the exhaust gas
isentropically to an absolute pressure of 69 kPa. The nozzle exit area is 0.056 m2. The gas may be treated
as a perfect gas with a specific heat ratio of 1.2 and an ideal gas constant of 300 J/(kg·K). Determine, for
design conditions:

a. the mass flow rate of propellant gas, and

b. the thrust force exerted on the test stand.

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SOLUTION:

patm = 101 kPa

p0 = 4.2 MPa
T0 = 3333 K (pexit – patm)Aexit
T Aexit = 0.056 m2
x pexit = 69 kPa

Determine the mass flow rate using the conditions at the exit. The Mach number at the exit may be found
from the isentropic stagnation pressure ratio:
k
pexit æ k - 1 2 ö1-k
= ç1 + Ma exit ÷ (1)
p0 è 2 ø
Using pexit = 69e3 Pa, p0 = 4.2e6 Pa, and k = 1.2:
\ Ma exit = 3.136 (2)

The exit temperature may be found using the stagnation temperature ratio:
-1
Texit æ k - 1 2 ö
= ç1 + Ma exit ÷ (3)
T0 è 2 ø
Using T0 = 3333 K, Maexit = 3.136, and k = 1.2:
\Texit = 1680 K (4)

The exit density may be found using the ideal gas law:
pexit = rexit RTexit (5)
Using pexit = 69e3 Pa, Texit = 1680 K, and R = 300 J/(kg·K):
\ rexit = 0.1369 kg/m3 (6)

The exit velocity may be found using the speed of sound at the exit and the Mach number definition:
cexit = kRTexit (7)
Vexit = cexit Ma exit (8)
Using k = 1.2, R = 300 J/(kg·K), Texit = 1680 K, and Maexit = 3.136:
\ cexit = 777.8 m/s (9)
\Vexit = 2439 m/s (10)

The mass flow rate through the nozzle is:

m! = ρexitVexit Aexit (11)
Using rexit = 0.1369 kg/m , Vexit = 2439 m/s, and Aexit = 0.056 m :
3 2

∴ m! = 18.69 kg/s (12)

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The thrust force, T, acting on the stand may be determined using the linear momentum equation in the x-
direction for the control volume shown in the figure.
d
ò ux r dV + CSò ux ( rurel × dA ) = FB, x + FS , x
dt CV
(13)

where
d
ò ux r dV = 0 (steady flow)
dt CV
(14)

∫ u ( ρu
CS
x rel
⋅ dA ) = mV
! exit (15)

FB , x = 0 (16)
FS , x = T - ( pexit - patm ) Aexit (17)
Substitute and simplify.
! exit = T − ( pexit − patm ) Aexit
mV (18)
∴T = mV (
! exit + pexit − patm Aexit ) (19)
Using m! = 18.69 kg/s, Vexit = 2439 m/s, pexit = 69e3 Pa, patm = 101e3 Pa, and Aexit = 0.056 m :
2

\ T = 4.380e4 N (20)

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