Analysis of Rocket Propulsion Nozzle Efficiency and Effectiveness

Bradley Wohlfarth* and V'yacheslav Akkerman, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Field (Broad Category): Physics & Astronomy (Physical Sciences & Engineering) 

Student’s Major: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering 

Combustion is a chemical process that uses oxygen and other compounds to create heat as energy through molecular vibrations or molecular motion. Combustion theory is the understanding of heat generation and heat transfer in all mediums. Combustion theory is largely related to the physics of rocket propulsion and the flame acceleration from a nozzle. Flame acceleration is the analytical study of the total acceleration, growth rate, and increase of flame surface area. By using these theories, scientists and engineers can study the behavior of flame propagation to develop systems that use it’s propagation to produce propulsion. Scientists study flame propagation by collecting data through a series of programs and supercomputers that have the capability to map the propagation of a flame. This data is then used to create equations and theorems to explain the behavior of flames in different mediums. It is also used to further explain and prove combustion theory as a viable explanation for the behavior of the free flame. These topics are largely related to my research being the research of the efficiencies and effectiveness of different types of rocket nozzles. 

Funding: 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course