Rocket and Gas Turbine Propulsion Systems
Liquid, Solid, Hybrid, and Electric Foundations for Astronautics and Space ExplorationBy Ilse Vandermeer
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.
Audiobook details
GenreTechnology, Science and Nature
Length16 hrs 21 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateSep 27, 2026
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Rocket and Gas Turbine Propulsion Systems
2Foreword
3Preface
4About This Book
5Important Safety Notice
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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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