Aerospace Propulsion - 535.763

This course provides a technical perspective on the predominant aerospace propulsion systems in use today, as well as the systems and technologies currently under development for advanced future applications. The goal is to equip professional engineers with a broad technical understanding of both state-of-the-art and emerging propulsion systems, as well as the foundational tools necessary for analyzing and assessing these systems for targeted applications. The course covers fundamental concepts and techniques for propulsion system analysis and design, including thermodynamics, compressible gas dynamics, and combustion chemistry. It then delves into space (rocket) vehicle analysis and propulsion system design, followed by aircraft propulsion, encompassing aircraft performance analysis, piston engines, gas turbine engines, and ramjet engines. The final portion of the course focuses on emerging technologies such as electric propulsion, eVTOL, hypersonic (scramjet), and detonation-cycle (pulse detonation and rotating detonation wave) engines. Recommended for students with basic familiarity in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and numerical solvers (e.g., MATLAB or Python) from undergraduate coursework, this course is otherwise self-contained and has no formal prerequisites.