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airport expansion and the RETF
Thrust is the force that moves a rocket through the air. Thrust is generated by the propulsion system of the rocket using Newton’s third law of motion. For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action. In this test, a selected fuel and an oxidizer (Liquid Oxygen) are pumped into a combustion chamber where they are mixed and the fuel is burned. The combustion produces great amounts of exhaust gas at high temperatures and pressures. The hot exhaust is passed through a nozzle that accelerates the flow (action). Thrust is produced in the opposite direction (re-action). The amount of thrust depends on the exit velocity from the nozzle and on the mass flow rate through the nozzle. By changing the fuel type, the pump output, or the nozzle shape, the amount of thrust produced can be modified.
The selection of the rocket propellants (fuel and oxidizer) determines the mass of the exhaust gas and the energy that can be derived from the fuel. The nozzle converts the energy into exhaust velocity. The selection of the fuel, combined with our oxidizer (Liquid Oxygen), affects the amount of thrust produced by the rocket engine.
The pumps determine the rate that the propellant flows through the engine. The pumps force the fuel and oxidizer into the igniter and combustion chamber. The flow rate set by the pumps affects the amount of thrust produced by the rocket engine.
The nozzle shape determines the exhaust velocity, and the exhaust velocity affects the amount of thrust produced by the rocket engine. A nozzle with a large area ratio from the exit of the nozzle to the throat of the nozzle produces a large exhaust velocity.
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