Spring Semester 2015

AEM-428-001- CRN: 15131 / AEM-528-001-CRN: 15132 / AEM-528-996-CRN: 15135

SPACE PROPULSION
Instructor:
Dr. Semih Olcmen
240 Hardaway Hall
Tel: 348-4003
e-mail: solcmen@eng.ua.edu
Office hours: Anytime during the work hours, not right before the class.
Class 9:00 am - 9:50 am
MWF H M Comer (Min Indust) 212

Jan 07, 2015 - Apr 24, 2015

Text-book: Space Propulsion Analysis and Design by Humble, Henry and Larson. The McGraw-Hill Companies, 1995.
Course Objectives
Students are introduced to different types of space propulsion engines/motors in this class. Different rockets, such as:
monopropellant, bi-propellant, solid, liquid, nuclear and electrical rockets, are discussed in detail. Working principles of these
rockets, their intended use and their design are discussed. Power limited and energy limited rocket working principles are
given. The course uses fundamental engineering knowledge gathered in many different classes, such as thermodynamics, heat
transfer, fluid mechanics to study and analyze rockets. The class builds on the experience gained in the knowledge on airbreathing engines. The class will be a unique experience especially for the aerospace engineers interested in space missions.
Additional information about the novel technologies that are under development by the government agencies are also
introduced in the class.
At the conclusion of the course students will be able to:
Analyze any existing rocket and generate performance characteristics for the rocket
Design rockets for specified missions.
Choose an engine for specific missions.
Make novel rocket designs and analyze them.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students or the undergraduate students taking the class as a graduate class are required to work on a
computer program/research topic decided between the instructor and the student in addition to the class requirements.
Students will be required to turn in a report and present their research in class close to the end of the semester. Longdistance education students are required either to make a PowerPoint presentation with sound embedded in it, or to
videotape their presentations. Presentation have to be sent by email or regular mail before the presentation date.
Students will not get a full grade without these requirements being fulfilled; presentation will cost them a one full
grade (i.e the top score they can get will be B).
Students are expected to search for research topics prior to discussing it with the instructor. The topics must
be selected at the beginning of the semester. A research topic relevant to your ongoing research could serve as a
research topic if it is appropriate. The research should be started after discussing the topic with the instructor.
The following are expected from the students:
a)

Report: A report describing the problem, main equations used in solving the problem, figures describing the
problem and the solutions, and discussion on equations/figures. The computer program used in the research
should also be included in the report. The report can be written using the AIAA paper format.

The report should have sections, including:

Abstract
Introduction/Background: describing the research topic and the previous work done on the topic.
Numerical Method: A brief description of the method(s) and the equations used.
Results and Discussion: A section discussing your findings.
Conclusions: A section describing the conclusions of your work.
References
b) Presentation: A twelve minute presentation describing the research and the results.

Spring Semester 2015

AEM-428-001- CRN: 15131 / AEM-528-001-CRN: 15132 / AEM-528-996-CRN: 15135
SPACE PROPULSION
Course Policy

1.

Prerequisites: AEM 408 Aerospace Propulsion. You should have a good understanding of Thermodynamics, Fluid
Mechanics and Compressible Aerodynamics.

2.

Assignment Schedule: The assignment schedule shows for each class meeting the material which is to be studied and the
problems which are to be solved before that class meeting.

3.

Tests: The tests will be given on the scheduled dates and will cover assigned material whether discussed in class or not,
and any additional material which may be presented in class although not covered in the textbook. If a test is missed, the
grade will be recorded as zero. No make-up test will be given except in the event of illness or serious emergency.
The tests may include questions as well as problems. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and neatness will be considered in
the grading.

4.

Quizzes: Quizzes of from 5 to 10 minutes in the length may be given, generally without prior announcement. These will
cover assigned material through the date of the quiz whether it has been discussed in class or not, as well as unassigned
material which has been discussed in class. No make-up quizzes will be given. A missed quiz will be recorded as a grade
of zero.

5.

Homework: Homework submitted is to be the individual work of each student. Students should feel free to discuss the
homework at any length with each other; however, when a student solves the homework problems for submission he
should not refer to the solution of any other student. Once he has completed his homework solutions, he is not to allow
other students to see them. Doing so will be considered as giving unauthorized aid and a violation of the Honor Code.

6.

Design Project: There will be several design projects assigned during the semester.

7.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend every class session. The instructor should not be expected to devote any time
outside of class to a student who has a record of unexcused absences.

8.

Grading: The course grades will be based on mid-term exam, homework, projects, quizzes, and the final exam. Occasional
special assignments and classroom response may be graded for use in establishing the course grade.
Mid-term exam
HW, projects and quizzes
Final exam

30%
35%
35%

90-100 A,

70-79 C,

80-89 B,

60-69 D,

no curve

The plus/minus grading will be applied only to undergraduate scores in consistence with the UA grading practices.
9.

Honor requirements: Observance of the University of Alabama Honor Code. You promise to not to be involved with
cheating, plagiarism or misrepresentation while enrolled as a student.

Spring Semester 2015

AEM-428-001- CRN: 15577 / AEM-528-001-CRN: 15578 / AEM-528-996-CRN: 15581
Assignment Schedule
Reading assignment and the problems are to be completed on the day listed.

Several additional HW and design projects may be assigned throughout the semester.
Period Date
1
1/07
2
1/09
3
1/12
4
1/14
5
1/16
January 19
6
1/21
7
1/23
8
1/26
9
1/28
10
1/30

Reading
Chapter I: Rocket fundamentals
Ideal rocket equations
Design process
Chapter 2: Mission analysis equations of motion
Equations of motion cont.
Holiday-Martin Luther King Jr. birthday observed
Orbit perturbations
Orbit maneuvering
Orbit maneuvering cont.
Earth to orbit
Chapter 3: Governing equations for open and closed systems, mass,
momentum, energy, entropy
Thrust equations , heat addition, heat transfer
Cold thruster design
Chapter 4: Heats of formation and reaction, vaporization and fusion
Products of combustion, equilibrium constant method

text pp
1-17
1-17, 19-30
19-30
30-39
Hill 495-508

172-178
179-189

11
12
13
14

2/2
2/4
2/6
2/09

15
16
17

2/11
2/13
2/16

18

2/18

Chemical kinetics
Chapter 5: LPRS introduction
Preliminary Design, system mass, propellant, engine cycle, cooling
approach
Design, pressure levels for engine and feed system

19

2/20

Thrust chamber sizing

20

2/23

Thrust chamber cooling

21
22
23
24
25
26

2/25
2/27
3/2
3/4
3/6
3/09

Propellant storage system

Case study
Case study cont.
Chapter 6: Solid rocket motors introduction
Preliminary sizing
Sizing cont.

27
28

3/11
3/13

Solid rocket propellants

Performance prediction-lumped-parameter methods

March 13-20
29
3/23
30
3/25
31
3/27
32
3/30
33
4/1
April 3
34
4/6
35
4/8

Spring Holidays (begins 5:00 p.m. March 13)

Case study
Case study cont.
MID-TERM EXAM
Chapter 8: nuclear propulsion systems, introduction
Design process
Honors Day (classes dismissed)
Nuclear Physics
Nerva-type reactor design

36
37
38

Case study
Case study cont.
Chapter 9: electric rocket propulsion

4/10
4/13
4/15

40-46
47-55
Hill 495-508
61-71
77-110
111-137
138-147
149-161
161-172

Hw1 assign

Page 125 is
assigned
HW1 collect
Hw3 coldgas thruster
assign
HW4
assigned
Page 125
prob is due

cold gas thr

295-306
306-323
306-323
323-331
331-342

Hw 3 collect
HW 4
collect
LRPS-LEOGEO

352-360
352-360
443-455
455-463
464-476
476-486
499-507
499-507
509-523

LRPS due
SRPS
assigned
HW5 assign

Spring Semester 2015

39
40
41
42

4/17
4/20
4/22
4/24

Overview of electric thrusters

Grad student presentations
Grad student presentations
Grad student presentations

523-534

HW5 collect
SRPS due

Final Exam
Friday, May 1, 2015
8:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Classes which first meet from MWF 9:00 - 9:50 AM

Spring 2015
January 5

University resumes normal business hours

January 6

Late registration/add/drop

January 7

Classes begin

January 14

Last day to register or add a course

January 14

Last day to drop a course without a grade of "W"

January 19

Holiday-Martin Luther King Jr. birthday observed

March 13-20

Spring Holidays (begins 5:00 p.m. March 13)

March 23

Classes resume (7:00 a.m.)

March 25

Last day to drop a course with a grade of "W"

March 25

Last day to drop a course on-line. Drops after this

date need to be processed in the student's college office

March 30 - April 3

Honors Week

April 3

Honors Day (classes dismissed)

April 17

Last day for all tests, etc.

April 24

Last day to withdraw from the University without

having to petition the student's college office [Except Nursing & Law]

April 24

Classes end

April 27-May 1

Final exams

May 1-2

Commencement [One ceremony Friday/two Saturday]

Spring Semester 2015

May 5

All grades due (due 24:00 Midnight)