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Rocket and Gas Turbine Propulsion Systems

Liquid, Solid, Hybrid, and Electric Foundations for Astronautics and Space ExplorationBy Ilse Vandermeer

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Length16h 21m

About this audiobook

You have seen the thrust equation. This book shows you what stands behind it. Rocket and Gas Turbine Propulsion Systems bridges the gap between thermodynamic theory and real hardware. Starting from stagnation properties and isentropic nozzle flow, it builds the full chain of performance parameters—characteristic velocity, thrust coefficient, and specific impulse—then moves directly into the engineering details that determine whether an engine works. You will examine turbopump cavitation margins, the four engine power cycles and their trade-offs, injector mixing and the combustion instabilities it can trigger, regenerative cooling channel design, solid grain geometry and erosive burning, hybrid regression rates, and the throughput limits of Hall and ion thrusters. Gas turbines receive equal depth, from Brayton cycle work terms to bypass ratio selection and ramjet inlet behavior. The final chapters cover staging and mission delta-v, test-stand instrumentation, range safety, materials, manufacturing, and the failure modes that end development programs. Every derivation concludes with a worked number, so you can connect each equation to a concrete design decision. Written for propulsion students, graduate researchers, and engineers moving between rocket and turbine work, this text treats liquid, solid, hybrid, and electric systems as one connected discipline. It assumes a first course in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics but builds every propulsion-specific result from the ground up. Whether you are sizing a nozzle, selecting a power cycle, or diagnosing an instability, the book provides the analytical framework and the numerical examples to support your work. What you will learn: • Apply stagnation properties and isentropic flow to nozzle design and performance prediction • Calculate characteristic velocity, thrust coefficient, and specific impulse from first principles • Evaluate turbopump cavitation margins and select among the four engine power cycles • Analyze injector mixing, combustion instability, and regenerative cooling channel behavior • Design solid grain geometries and predict erosive burning effects • Estimate hybrid rocket regression rates and electric thruster throughput limits • Work through Brayton cycle terms, bypass ratio trade-offs, and ramjet inlet operation • Perform staging and mission delta-v calculations with test-stand instrumentation in mind • Identify materials, manufacturing, and failure mode constraints across propulsion systems This book is for upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and practicing engineers in aerospace, mechanical, and energy fields who need a unified, quantitatively rigorous treatment of rocket and gas turbine propulsion. If you are transitioning from coursework to design, or moving between rocket and turbine projects, the worked examples and hardware-focused chapters will serve as a lasting reference.

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Audiobook details

GenreTechnology, Science and Nature

Length16 hrs 21 mins

Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices

FormateBook with Audio

Publish dateSep 27, 2026

LanguageEnglish

1Rocket and Gas Turbine Propulsion Systems

2Foreword

3Preface

4About This Book

5Important Safety Notice

Show all chapters

6Chapter 1: Thermodynamic Foundations of Propulsion

71.1 The Control Volume and the General Thrust Equation

81.2 Stagnation Properties and Isentropic Relations

91.3 Energy, Enthalpy and the Speed of Sound

101.4 Thrust, Power and Efficiency Definitions

111.5 The Rocket Equation and Its Immediate Consequences

121.6 Worked Synthesis: From Chamber to Delivered Impulse

13Chapter 2: Nozzle Flow and Performance

142.1 Choking and the Critical Pressure Ratio

152.2 Area Ratio and the Isentropic Nozzle Solution

162.3 Mass Flow, Characteristic Velocity and Throat Sizing

172.4 Thrust Coefficient and Nozzle Efficiency

182.5 Over-Expansion, Under-Expansion and Altitude Compensation

192.6 Nozzle Performance Synthesis

20Chapter 3: Chemical Rocket Performance Parameters

213.1 Mixture Ratio, Equivalence Ratio and Stoichiometry

223.2 Adiabatic Flame Temperature and Equilibrium Composition

233.3 Characteristic Velocity and Its Measurement

243.4 Specific Impulse, Density Impulse and Propellant Selection

253.5 Performance Synthesis Across a Mixture-Ratio Sweep

26Chapter 4: Liquid Propellants and Feed Systems

274.1 Propellant Pairs and Their Properties

284.2 Tank Pressurization and Feed-System Layout

294.3 Turbopumps, Cavitation and Net Positive Suction Head

304.4 Valves, Lines, Transients and Propellant Management

314.5 Feed-System Synthesis and Mass Estimate

32Chapter 5: Engine Power Cycles

335.1 The Gas Generator Cycle

345.2 Staged Combustion and Oxidizer-Rich Cycles

355.3 Expander and Expander-Bleed Cycles

365.4 Pressure-Fed Systems and Cycle Comparison

375.5 Cycle Selection Synthesis

38Chapter 6: Injectors, Combustion and Cooling

396.1 Atomization, Spray Formation and Injector Types

406.2 Mixing, Combustion Efficiency and Chamber Length

416.3 Combustion Instability: Modes, Drivers and Damping

426.4 Regenerative and Film Cooling

436.5 Injector and Cooling Synthesis

44Chapter 7: Solid Rocket Motors

457.1 Propellant Composition and Hazard Classes

467.2 Grain Design and Burning Surface Evolution

477.3 Burn-Rate Laws and Pressure Sensitivity

487.4 Erosive Burning and Internal Ballistics

497.5 Case-Bonded Structures and Insulation

507.6 Solid Motor Synthesis

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