Engineering Questions with Answers - Multiple Choice Questions
Rocket Propulsion – Propellant Properties
1 - Question
Which of the following propellants were used in the Titan mission?
a) 50% UDMH + 50% hydrazine
b) RP1
c) RDX
d) Aviation gasoline
View Answer
Explanation: UDMH is often used in mixed form with 30-50% of hydrazine. Titan missile and launch vehicle make use of this fuel combination.
2 - Question
Which of the following is not a factor considered in the selection of liquid propellant for a rocket engine?
a) Economic
b) Performance
c) Safety
d) Injector pattern
View Answer
Explanation: Injector pattern is not considered for the selection of liquid propellant. Economic, performance and safety reasons for choosing a propellant are perfectly reasonable.
3 - Question
Which of the following chemical particles cannot be suspended in liquid fuel to increase specific impulse?
a) Boron
b) Beryllium
c) Aluminium
d) Fluorine
View Answer
Explanation: Fluorine is highly toxic and corrosive. It may react with propellants as well. So it cannot be used.
4 - Question
Which among the following propellants is not corrosive?
a) Liquid oxygen
b) Nitric acid
c) Nitrogen tetroxide
d) Liquid Fluorine
View Answer
Explanation: Liquid oxygen is a non-corrosive propellant. Nitric acid and nitrogen tetroxide are corrosive to some materials, but their extremely low temperature makes their storage and pumping a difficult task. Liquid fluorine is highly corrosive and toxic.
5 - Question
What is O-ring in a chemical rocket engine?
a) A kind of seal
b) A type of injector
c) A type of pipe network
d) A kind of control system
View Answer
Explanation: O-ring is a kind of seal technology used in the pressure vessel industry. Liquid rocket engines might use O-ring for the purpose of sealing the propellant tanks.
6 - Question
Which of the following is not a desirable property of a liquid propellant?
a) Low freezing point
b) Low specific gravity
c) Stability
d) High specific heat
View Answer
Explanation: One of the desirable properties of a liquid propellant is that it should have high specific gravity. Specific gravity is the ratio of density of a substance to the density of a reference substance.
7 - Question
What is the average specific gravity(δav) if the specific gravity of the fuel (δf) is 0.792, the specific gravity of the oxidizer is (δo) is 1.02 and the mixture ratio (r) is 4?
a) 0.96
b) 0.94
c) 1.01
d) 0.98
View Answer
Explanation: δav = δoδf(1+r)/(rδf + δo) δav = 1.02 x 0.792 x 5/(4×0.792 + 1.02) = 0.96.
8 - Question
Determine the density specific impulse (Id) if the specific impulse is 315 s and the average density of the propellants is 840 kg/m3. Take the reference density to be the maximum density of water.
a) 264.6 s
b 251.3 s
c) 279.5 s
d) 304.4 s
View Answer
Explanation: Id = δavIs, where Is is the specific impulse and δ is the average specific gravity. ∆av = 840/1000 = 0.84, in which consider the density of water to be 1000 kg/m3. Id = 0.84x 315 = 264.6 s.
9 - Question
A good liquid propellant will have ___________
a) easy deterioration
b) resistance to deterioration
c) absorption of moisture
d) small amount of impurities
View Answer
Explanation: A good liquid propellant should have no appreciable absorption of moisture. It should also be resistant to deterioration as it may be required to be kept intact for a long period of mission journey.
10 - Question
Evaporation is a major concern for __________
a) cryogenic propellants
b) monopropellants
c) bipropellants
d) solid propellants
View Answer
Explanation: Cryogenic propellants are stored at very low temperatures in their storage/propellant tanks. Even though they have significant performance, their maintenance is a complex and elaborate procedure. Because of their low boiling point vale, they evaporate quickly.