Chapter 3 Propulsion System

3.1 Classification and Characteristics

Turbojet Engine
Piston Engine
Turbofan Engine
Turboprop Engine
Turbo-Engine
Propfan Engine
Aerojet Turboshaft Engine
Engine VTOL Engine
Liquid Rocket Engine
Engine Ramjet Engine
Solid Rocket Engine
Chemical Rocket Engine Hybrid Propellant
Rocket Engine
Rocket Engine
Electric Rocket Engine
Nonchemical Rocket Engine Nuclear rocket engine
Turbo-Ramjet Engine Solar Energy
Rocket Engine
Combined Engine Turborocket Engine
Rocket Ramjet Engine
 3.2 Aero Piston Engine
3.2.1 Main Components of Piston Engine
Spark Plug

Exhaust Valve Intake Valve

Cylinder Piston

Connecting Rod

Crankshaft
3.2.2 Principle of Piston Engine

Intake Compression Power Exhaust

Stroke Stroke Stroke Stroke

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 Cooling of Piston Engine

Radial Engine Tandem Engine V-Type Engine

Gas Cooling Liquid Cooling

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Tandem Four-Cylinder Engine Transverse Arrangement of Cylinder

V-Type Six-Cylinder Engine

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 Piston-8 Engine
Double Rows Fourteen-Cylinder Gas Cooling Radial Engine
3.2.3 Auxiliary System of Piston Engine
Air-Taking in System
Fuel System
Ignition System
Cooling System
Start-up System
Timing System

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3.2.4 Main Performance Parameters of Piston Engine
Power ——
Power that can be used to drive the propeller
is called the effective power（kW）

Power-to-Weight Ratio ——
Power/Weight （kW/kg）

Specific Fuel Consumption ——

Mass of consumption of fuel to produce power of
1kW in an hour（kg/kWh)

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 3.3 Aero-jet Engine

balloon

Equilibrium condition Reaction Action

 Combustor
Compressor Turbine

Fuel Injector Nozzle

Inlet

Jet of high pressure gas produces thrust

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 3.3.1 Main Performance Parameters
Thrust ——
Resultant force from pressure acting on the inner surface and
outer surface of the engine. (N)
Unit Thrust ——
Thrust produced by unit flux of air (kg/s) taken in the engine.
Thrust-to-Weight ratio ——
Ratio of the engine thrust (the maximum thrust on the ground)
to the structural weight.
Thrust Specific Fuel Consumption (TSFC)——
Ration of rate of fuel consumption to thrust output (kg/Nh)
It is the main parameter to measure how the engine is
economical. 空气喷气发动机
3.3.2 Turbo-Engine
Engine Core ——
Compressor, Combustor, and Turbine

Turbojet Engine Turbofan Engine

Turboprop Engine Propfan Engine
Turboshaft Engine VTOL Engine

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1 Turbojet Engine

Inlet Compressor Combustor Turbine Nozzle

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 Inlet
Cleans up the airstream flowing into the engine to
eliminate the swirl and ensures the amount of air
needed by the engine.
Decreases the velocity of the high speed airflow to
increase its static pressure so that the compressor
possesses good operational condition.

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 Inlet
Shape of inlet
Normal shock
Bow shock wave Shock wave wave cone

Subsonic inlet Supersonic inlet

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 Inlet
Arrangement of inlet location ——

nose entry

double-sided entry (fuselage, wing root)

ventral entry

back entry

nacelle entry

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 Nose entry

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 F-16

Ventral entry

ef 2000

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 Saab35

Wing root
Double-sided entry

Fuselage side

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 Back entry

F-117

X-45

B-2

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 Nacelle entry
trident

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 Compressor
Increases the pressure of air entering the combustor

Guide pipe

Air guide
impeller

Air guide

Diffuser

Centrifugal compressor
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 Compressor

Compressor stator Compressor rotor

Axial-flow compressor

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 Compressor
Axial-flow compressor 叶轮
Rotor 整流环
blades Stator vanes

exit

entry

entry

exit

Stage 1 stage 2 stage 3 stage 4

叶轮旋转方向
Rotation direction of rotor

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 Combustor
where fuel is mixed with the high pressure air and burned

Flame tube Burner-can

Fuel atomizer
fuel

Flow to
turbine
Air from
compressor

swirler

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 Combustor
Swirler Recirculation flow Swirl flow

Swirler

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 Turbine
Translates the energy of the gas with high temperature
and high pressure into the mechanical energy, and drives
the compressor, fan, propeller, and other accessories.

Operating
impeller

Nozzle guide

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 Afterburner
Most use of means to break through the “sound barrier”

compressor burner turbine Afterburner

nozzle

inlet Afterburning turbojet engine

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 Exhaust Nozzle
Causes the gases to accelerate to
flow out of the engine, and
produces thrust
Fairing
panel exhaust cone
shell
(bullet)

Intermediate
zone Nozzle exit

Subsonic nozzle—convergent nozzle Supersonic nozzle— Laval nozzle

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• End 1
 2 Turboprop Engine
The propeller provides the major thrust, and the gas minor.
It has higher efficiency, lower TSFC, and better economy
for low subsonic flight.

propeller

gearbox inlet compressor burner turbine nozzle

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C-130

Tu95
 3 Turbofan Engine
less energy loss, lower TSFC, good economy, low noise level, high
efficiency, large thrust for takeoff
tendency:
inlet compressor burner turbine nozzle low bypass ratio
afterburner-
equipped engine for
military use.
high bypass ratio,
high fore turbine
temperature, and
fan bypass Internal high pressure ratio
duct duct
engine for civil use.
涡扇9 Bypass ratio：the ratio of the bypass mass flow rate to the mass
flow rate of the air flowing through the core.
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Su27

Boeing777
 4 Propfan Engine
High propulsion efficiency
Fuel saving
Being applicable for high subsonic flight

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An70
 5 Turboshaft Engine
Main power system of modern helicopter
Advantages (compared with piston engine): easer to start, higher
power, lighter, smaller volume, lower vibration level, lower noisy
level; larger range, velocity, ceiling, and loading capacity.
Disadvantages: higher SFC
Free turbine driving the rotor
Free turbine driving the
compressor burner compressor

gas

air

Export shaft of free turbine

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AH64
6 VTOL engine
Turbofan engine with swivelling-nozzle
Swivelling jet pipe
of fan exit
High pressure
fan compressor turbine
burner

Swivelling jet
pipe of nozzle

Plenum

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 Turbofan engine with swivelling-nozzle

VTOL engine

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X-32B

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 Lift-fan engine
Peripheral turbine

Lift fan
duct
Turbojet engine

nozzle Diverter valve X-35

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 3.3.3 Ramjet Engine
Construction——inlet（diffuser）, burner, and nozzle

Fuel sprayer Burner

Inlet
Thrust nozzle
Characteristics：simple, light, high thrust-weight ratio, low cost,
good economy and low TSFC at high speed (Ma>2)；low thrust
and high TSFC at low speed; no thrust at stationary condition;
short operation range; sensitive to variation of flight condition.
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V1

X43A
 3.3.4 Operational Condition of Turbojet Engine

Takeoff Regime: the maximum thrust, the highest engine rev and
fore turbine temperature, 5-10min operation allowable
Maximum Regime：85%-90% of takeoff thrust, operation time
≤30min
Rated Regime：thrust slightly less than that of the maximum
regime, continuous operation
Cruising Regime：65%-75% of takeoff thrust, low TSFC, good
economy, continuous operation
Idle Regime：3%-5% of takeoff thrust, the minimum rev status
for stable operation, low efficiency, 5-10min operation allowable
 3.4 Rocket Engine
Takes fuel and oxidizer

3.4.1 Main Performance Parameters

Thrust (N)

Impulse and Total Impulse （N·s）

Specific Impulse （m/s)

3.4.2 Liquid Rocket Engine

1 Monopropellant Liquid Rocket Engine

simple structure, low energy, low SI

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2 Bipropellant Liquid Rocket Engine
（1）Construction and Operation Principle

Fuel tank and Combustion chamber nozzle

transportation system

Oxidizer tank and sprayer

transportation system

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 Propellant Transportation System
Functions：transports the propellants to the burner according to required flux and
pressure

Extrusion-type Pump-type

Structurally Simple and Structurally complicated, less

reliable, easy of repetitious amount of mass
start, larger amount of mass
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 Thrust chamber
Functions：mixes the liquid propellants and burns to
produce thrust
sprayer

burner

nozzle

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 （2）Liquid Propellant

① Requirements for Propellants

high energy
favorable physical and chemical stability
……

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② Main Liquid Propellants
Oxidizer ——

O2 F2 HNO3

H2O2 N2O4

Fuel ——

H2 Aviation Gasoline N2H4

(CH3)2N2H2

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3 Advantages and Disadvantages

advantages —— high SI, large thrust range,

capable of repeated start, easy of control of the thrust
magnitude, long operation time
disadvantages —— the propellants are unsuitable
for reserve for long time, bad performance for battle.

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 3.4.3 Solid Rocket Engine (Motor)
1 Construction and Operation Principle
Construction——powder cylinder, burner, nozzle module,
ignition device
shell Main powder cylinder Transmission mechanism

nozzle
End cover

igniter

Thrust-termination device Side jet pipe

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 2 Propellants of Solid Rocket Engine
(1) kinds of solid propellants
(2) shapes and characteristics of powder cylinders

1-D powder cylinder

Surface burning Inner hole burning Inner and outer

surface burning 3-D powder cylinder
2-D powder cylinder simultaneously
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（3）Advantages and Disadvantages

advantages —— structurally simple, high

reliability, simplicity of operation, stability of
performance, capacity of reserve for long time

disadvantages —— lower energy than liquid

propellants, lower SI, short operation time, initial
temperature while installing powder heavily effects the
burner pressure and operation time, difficult to adjust
the magnitude and direction of the thrust, hard to
repeat start.

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3.4.4 Hybrid Propellant Rocket Engine

 better performance
 structurally simple
 convenient for adjustment of
thrust and repeated start

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 3.5 Combined Engine

3.5.1 Rocket Ramjet Engine

Adjustable inlet sprayer burner

Supplying oxygen and fuel Adjustable nozzle

3.5.2 Turbo-Ramjet Engine

Low Mach Number

High Mach Number

3.5.3 Turborocket Engine

 3.6 Unconventional
Propulsion System

Electric Propulsion
System
Nuclear Propulsion
System
Solar Propulsion System
SMART-1 explorer and its solar energy
ion engine
MUSES-C spacecraft employs 4 Y-2
engines. They are microwave ion engine.
Thank You