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

• Aeronautic propulsion: force and energy balance, performance parameters and classification.
• Propellers: operating principles and characteristics, regulation and power shafts;
• Jet engines: engine types, nominal and off-design performances, operation limits, transients;
• Jet engine components: intakes, compressors, turbines, fans, combustors, nozzles;
• Recent evolutions in civil aviation and impact on turbofan technology;
• Space propulsion: force and energy balance, classification;
• Rocket engines : classification, nozzle operation, performances, selection of the propellants;
• Electric propulsors: classification and operating principles of Hall and grid thrusters;
• Elements of scientific computation for the numerical resolution of the exercises;
• Recapitulation of hydrodynamics and gas dynamics.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

The objectives of this course are that the student 

• understands of how a propulsion system works and is chosen and conceived according to its mission, to the technological limits and to the operating conditions;
• understands of what influences its performances and limits the operating range;
• can estimate the operating point of the engine and the performance parameters using small numerical routines in matlab or python;
• understands of recent, future and prospective trends in propulsion.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course


Additional information:

The course is organised the whole quadrimester following sessions of 3h to 3h30 of theory and 30' to 1h of exercises. As the exercises are ment to be solved autonomously by the student, the latter consist mainly of Q&A, complemented by an introduction to the programming of computation scripts and the resolution of a few typical exercises.

Recommended or required readings

The course materials are available in electronic format on the e-campus site of the course. They include:

• Course notes for theory and exercises;
• Other standard works are referenced in the notes and made available if possible;
• Fora supporting discussions on the theory, exercises and projects.

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( open-ended questions ) AND oral exam

Written work / report


Additional information:

An oral examination on the theory and a written exercise exam is organized in June (1st session) and September (2nd session). Two projects on performance prediction of propulsion systems are to be handed in during the quadrimester. All elements need to be succesfully passed.

 

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Contacts

• Teacher : Koen Hillewaert (koen.hillewaert@uliege.be)
• Assistent : Thomas Lambert (t.lambert@uliege.be)

Association of one or more MOOCs

Items online