Pressurization Systems for Liquid Rockets
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Rocketdyne, Rockwell International, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and NASA Lewis Research Center

Pressurization Systems for Liquid Rockets
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Rocketdyne, Rockwell International, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and NASA Lewis Research Center

Beginning with the first liquid propellant rockets of Robert Goddard, rocket propellant tanks have been pressurized to force the oxidizer and fuel into the thrust chamber.  This design proved extremely successful with the WAC-Corporal and Aerobee rocket series, the Nike-Ajax guided missile, and many other rocket designs.  Most "amateur" rocketeers continue to use pressurized systems for their designs, and there's no book like this one to provide all the theory and engineering design information needed for this task.

An important volume from the NASA Space Vehicle Design Criteria series covering the design of controlled gas pressure systems for the ullage space of rocket propellant tanks.  This pressure forces the propellants through the feed-system lines and into the rocket engine combustion chamber at the proper flow rate and pressure.

The text represents decades of research and development by NASA and several government and independent labs.  This is the book used for successful designs used for main propulsion, auxiliary propulsion, and attitude control systems for boosters, upper stages, and spacecraft.  Much of the material was classified "secret" for many years.

Provides design solutions for sophisticated pressurization and pressure control systems used in modern rockets.  Discusses multi-start missions requiring repressurization after an extended coast period.  Takes you through the entire design process from start to finish, examining the pros and cons of each alternative. 

Gives chief design features and specs for many rockets, including:

• Atlas
• Delta
• Saturn
• Thor
• Titan
• Agena
• Centaur
• Advanced Technology Satellite
• Apollo LEM (Ascent and Descent)
• Apollo Service Module
• Lunar Orbiter
• Mariner
• Pioneer
• Surveyor
• Viking
• And several others

• Liquid Oxygen (LOx)
• Liquid Hydrogen (LH2)
• RP-1
• N2O4
• A-50
• Fluorine
• Ammonia
• IRFNA
• UDMH
• MMH
• Hydrazine
• H2O2

Preliminary Design

• Basic Design Parameters
• Tank Ullage Pressure (Pump- and Pressure-Fed)
• Propellant Properties
• Duty Cycle (Single Burn, Multi-Start, Pulsing Operation)
• Selection of System Type
• Inert-Gas System
• Evaporated-Propellant System
• Combustion-Products System
• Initial System Design
• Pressurant-Gas Evaluation
• Design Approximations

• Pressure Control Systems
• Prepressurization
• Mainstage Pressurization
• Pressure-Regulated System
• Pressure Switch System
• Passive System
• Blowdown System
• Repressurization
• Tank Venting
• Venting Control
• Zero-Gravity Venting
• Vent Thrust
• System Components
• Tanks (Pressure and Propellant)
• Pressure Regulators
• Pressure Switches
• Valves (Vent, Relief, Check, Isolation)
• Pressurant Distributors
• Ancillary Components

• Heat Transfer Effects
• Thermal Control
• Variation in Pressurant Temperature
• Stratification of Propellant Temperature
• Temperature Gradients in System Components
• Mass Transfer Effects
• Counterpermeation
• Pressurant Dissolution in Propellant
• System Dynamics
• Startup Transients
• Ullage Coupled Pogo

Has many examples of design situations, showing how the calculations are made.  Provides all the formulae and equations needed for system design.  Covers all the plumbing and fittings used in these systems.

Includes many engineering drawings, illustrations, and figures, plus many graphs, tables, and charts.  Back of book has a detailed appendix, including data for conversion of U.S. Customary Units to SI Units, an 11-page glossary, and several pages of technical references for further studies.

Since the earliest Goddard experiments with liquid propellant rockets, pressurized systems have proven ideal for small rockets.  This book provides abundant and detailed information and data for the "amateur" experimental rocket scientist, as well as inventors and engineers working with monopropellant or hybrid (peroxide, nitrous oxide) motors, and technicians working with aircraft, high-speed motorboats, racing cars, and similar high-technology apparatus.

171 pages, printed directly from a NASA digital file, size 11 x 8.5-inches, nicely bound.  The original is long out-of-print, and some of the typography in this version is not perfectly clear and sharp (it's sometimes faint in the NASA-supplied original file).  $24.95

 

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The Rocket Science Institute is a non-profit scientific and educational foundation in support of "amateur" experimental rocket science, engineering, and technology.