ABSTRACT
This chapter helps to understand how rocket engines work. Rocket scientists started learning the basic components of the rocket engine and learned all-important thermodynamic expansion properties of ideal gases that are truly the science behind rocket engine engineering. Rocket scientists learned to maintain an isentropic flow within the engine enables them to make design calculations of the engine's physical dimension. The chapter describes the isentropic process and thermodynamic properties a step further and developed equation for sizing the combustion chamber, converging nozzle, throat, and the diverging nozzle. These tools for rocket engine design finally allowed one to do some real rocket engineering. The chapter shows the complete design process for a rocket engine and, in essence, developed the design model for the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) without realizing it. Computer models of the design process enable the student to make engineering decisions on rocket engine design that could be useful in a real-world day-to-day rocket engineer's job.
