Aerospace propulsion

Duration

26h Th, 26h Pr

Number of credits

Lecturer

Koen Hillewaert

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

• Action, reaction, propulsion. Historical perspectives and classification of propulsive systems.
• Compressible flows : thermodynamic losses, Fanno and Rayleigh problems, thrust developed by an engine.
• Caracterization of the main components : intakes, compressors, turbines, fans, combustors, nozzles, propellers.
• Jet engines : types, nominal performances, off-design performances, transients, turbine cooling.
• Rocket engines : performances, nozzle sizing, thermochemistry of the combustion chamber, chemical reactions in the nozzle, selection of the propergols.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

The objectives of this course are to understand how a propulsion system is conceived according to its mission, to the technological limits and to the operating conditions, to understand what influences its peformances and how they can be determined.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Thermodynamics, Heat Transfers and Fluid Mechanics

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Projects are organized by groups of two students. They consist in carrying out a preliminary draft of turbojet that must achieve required performances.

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)

This course is organized throughout the second half of the academic year, by 4 hour sessions, at a rate of about 30 hours of theory and 15 hours of exercises.

Recommended or required readings

Course notes are available, as well as a collection of solved exercises. These notes are regularly updated and are distributed during the course. Reference books are proposed. The slides are in English.

Assessment methods and criteria

An oral examination on the theory and an exercise is organized in June (1st session) and September (2nd session). The project is subject to a report which is also evaluated.

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Contacts

• Teacher : Koen Hillewaert (koen.hillewaert@uliege.be)

Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the May-June 2020 session

Teaching methods implemented : distance-learning

teaching activities through e-campus

• course notes and exercise bundles (+ answers) on line
• live teaching sessions at the regular hour via collaborate
• fora for questions on theory, exercises and course organisation

Assessment subjects

Classification of propulsion systems
Propellers

• actuator disk and blade element method
• similarity and operating maps
• regulation and propeller types

• idealised cycle
• component efficiencies: compressor, turbine and combustion chamber
• impact of component inefficiency on the global efficiency

• classification, components et recent evolutions
• analysis of the idealised cycles: design choices, compromises and limitations 
• intakes: operation, acoustic treatment, operation of the straight and oblique supersonic intake
• operation of the nozzle and afterburner, regulation
• aerodynamic operation of blade row
• compressors: similarity, operating maps:  choking, stall and surge; off-design operation of  multistage compressors and anti-surge devices; distortion
• turbines:similarity, operating maps, blade cooling
• matching of compressor, combustion chamber and turbine in the gas generator and pumping characteristic; interaction  gas generator and nozzle or free turbine

• rocket engines: classification, operation and components; instabilities; cavitation
• electromagnetic thrusters : classification and operating principles

Assessment methods

exercises: common session for all students through on-line platform (2/3 of the marks)

• 2 comprehensive exercises, with 2-3 subquestions
• form for providing numerical values of the answers
• the elaborated answer in has to be sent in the hour following the exam. The form is free, and can be  a scan of written text, documented computation script, latex document, ...
• use of matlab, python, ... allowed 

• general question on comprehension of certain physical phenomena, links between different chapters, application of general principles 
• 20' preparation after receiving the question
• 20' exam and discussion

Contacts

By preference through the fora (theory, exercises and course organisation) on e-campus for questions of general interest for generally valid questions. Forum questions will be followed up within the day.
By mail 

• koen.hillewaert@uliege.be
• t.lambert@uliege.be

Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the Aug-Sept 2020 session

Assessment subjects

Propellers

• actuator disk and blade element method
• similarity and operating maps
• regulation and propeller types

• idealised cycle
• component efficiencies: compressor, turbine and combustion chamber
• impact of component inefficiency on the global efficiency

• performance parameters
• classification, components and recent evolutions
• analysis of the idealised cycles: design choices, compromises and limitations 
• intakes: operation, acoustic treatment, operation of the straight and oblique supersonic intake
• operation of the nozzle and afterburner, regulation
• aerodynamic operation of blade row
• compressors: similarity, operating maps:  choking, stall and surge; off-design operation of  multistage compressors and anti-surge devices; distortion
• turbines:similarity, operating maps, blade cooling
• matching of components

• rocket engines: classification, operation and components
• electromagnetic thrusters : classification and operating principles

Assessment methods

exercises: common session for all students through on-line platform (2/3 of the marks)

• 2 comprehensive exercises, with 2-3 subquestions
• the elaborated answer in has to be sent in the half hour following the exam. The form is free, and can be a scan of written text, documented computation script, latex document, ...
• course and exercise notes can be used
• use of matlab, python, ... recommended
• open session of blackboard for communication/questions during the exam 

• general questions: comprehension of certain physical phenomena, links between different chapters, application of general principles
• no extensive mathematical dévelopments
• graphical illustrations of physical principles, tendencies etc. 
• 30' preparation after receiving the question, 30' exam and discussion

Contacts

By preference through one of the three fora on e-campus for questions of general interest. The fora are followed up daily.
Otherwise by mail
koen.hillewaert@uliege.be
t.lambert@uliege.be (exercises)

Items online