RustPEP documentation
Data sources and limits
Where RustPEP's method and data come from, and what the results do not tell you.
Method
The equilibrium method is a port of the Naval Weapons Center Propellant Evaluation Program (PEP), IBM PC version compiled by Martin Marietta in 1989 and released free of charge.
Data
| Data | Source |
|---|---|
| Product thermodynamic data (default) | NASA Glenn CEA thermo.inp, Apache License 2.0 |
| Product thermodynamic data (legacy) | The JANNAF 1986 data distributed with PEP |
| Ingredient data | The PEPCODED file distributed with PEP |
| Sugar propellant formulations | Richard Nakka’s Experimental Rocketry site |
Each formulation in the Propellant Library lists its own source.
Limits
Results are ideal thermochemical predictions. They do not predict burn rate, combustion efficiency, nozzle losses or safety. Follow your rocketry organization’s safety code and local law.
In practice that means:
- Burn rate has to be measured. See Burn rate and BurnSim export.
- Delivered performance is lower than ideal. Real motors commonly deliver 90 to 97 percent of the ideal c*.
- Density is the ideal value with no voids. Cast propellant is usually 1 to 5 percent lower.
- Safety of a formulation, a process or a motor is outside what this software evaluates.