Section 7: Chemical Rocket Propellant Performance Analysis

Sutton and Biblarz: Chapter 5



Lecture1 Notes: ................... (pdf )

Combustion Basics

• Stoichiometric versus Non-Stoichiometric Combustion
• Desirabel Propellant Properties
• Adiabatic Flame Temperature
• Heat of Formation
• Example Heats of Reaction (1 atm, 298 deg. K)
• 'Available Heat' Flame Temperature Method
• Equilibrium versus Frozen Combustion Flow
• Equilibrium Combustion Analysis
• Gibbs Free Energy Analysis
• Relationship of Equilibrium Constant to Free Energy of Formation
• Codes for Solving Gibbs Analysis for Equilibrium Chemistry
• Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA)
• Sample CEA Calculation

CEA, AP/Al/HTPB Solid Propellant Design Project

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NASA SP-80761 (Solid Propellant Grain Design and Internal Ballistics

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• CEA Installation Notes

• NASA CEA Request Web page

• NEW! CEA Web-Based GUI ... https://cearun.grc.nasa.gov/

• CEA Downloads for PC
  • CEAexec-win.zip
  • CEAFortran.zip
  • CEAgui-jar.zip

  • The installation procedures for Windows:

    • Create the installation directory on your local machine (e.g. CD C:\CEAexec)
    • Download all three(3)ZIP files and save into the installation directory
      • Extract the CEAgui JAR file (CEAgui-jar.zip)
      • Extract the CEA+ Fortran Package (CEA+Fortran.zip) for CEA files
      • Extract the CEAexec Package (CEAexec-win.zip)
    • Check that you must have the SIX files and CEAexec-win.bat in the installation directory.
      1. CEAgui.jar
      2. thermo.lib
      3. trans.lib
      4. b1b2b3.exe
      5. syntax.exe
      6. FCEA2.exe

    Double-click the executable batch CEAexec-win.bat to run the CEAgui program

    • Install the latest version of the JAVA Runtime Environment
    • https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp
      • Installation Link for Windows: https://javadl.oracle.com/webapps/download/AutoDL?BundleId=245804_df5ad55fdd604472a86a45a217032c7d
      • JAVA Installation Instructions: https://www.java.com/en/download/help/windows_manual_download.html
• CEA Downloads for MAC
  • CEAexec-mac.tar.Z
  • CEA+Fortran.tar.Z
  • CEAgui-jar.tar.Z

• The CEAgui Download Installation Procedures for Unix(sun or sgi or linux or mac OS X):

  • Create the installation directory on your local machine (e.g. mkdir CEAexec)
  • Download all ZIP files and the JRE executable file and save into the installation directory ( e.g. cd CEAexec )
  • Extract files from the CEAgui JAR file (CEAgui-jar.tar.Z).
    

1. zcat CEAgui-jar.tar.Z | tar -xvf -

   1. Extract files from the Fortran Package (CEA+Fortran.tar.Z).
      

2. zcat CEA+Fortran.tar.Z | tar -xvf -

   1. Select one of the following platforms:
      • For Sun, extract files from the CEAexec Package (CEAexec-sun.tar.Z).
        

• zcat CEAexec-sun.tar.Z | tar -xvf -

  • For Sgi, extract files from the CEAexec Package (CEAexec-sgi.tar.Z).
    

• zcat CEAexec-sgi.tar.Z | tar -xvf -

  • For Linux, extract files from the CEAexec Package (CEAexec-linux.tar.Z).
    

• zcat CEAexec-linux.tar.Z | tar -xvf -

  • For Mac OS X, extract files from the CEAexec Package (CEAexec-mac.tar.Z).
    

• zcat CEAexec-mac.tar.Z | tar -xvf -

1. Check that you must have the SIX files ( CEAgui.jar, thermo.lib, trans.lib, syntax, b1b2b3, FCEA2 ) in the installation directory. The file permissions of the executable files ( syntax, b1b2b3, FCEA2 ) must be set to executable, and update UNIX environment variables ( CLASSPATH, PATH ), then execute the shell script runCEA.sh
2. Very important! Update your PATH variable to include your installation directory.

setenv    PATH    ${PATH}:.

More information can be found in Installation Notes

• Installation Notes for OSX Mt. Lion(gFortran, Mac Os X Mt. Lion or newer)
• • Installation Notes for MAC Users (g77, Legacy Os X)
  • Updating the CEA Libraries
    • Os X gfortran installation instructions (Revised for Yosemite, El Capitan, or Sierra)
      • Installing the GNU compiliers on Mac Os X 10.11 El Capitan and Above.
      • YouTube CEA Installation Video for Mac Os X
• CEA Reference Manual
  • NASA RP-1311.pdf (CEA manual)
    • RP-1311 "Rocket" Discussion
• Example CEA Run Files (GOX/GH2)
  • MAE5540_CEA_example.inp
  • MAE5540_CEA_example.out
  • MAE5540_CEA_example.plt
    • CEA PLot File Format Cheat Sheet (jpg)
    • CEA PLot File Format Cheat Sheet (pdf)

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