The total energy at the nozzle exit of a rocket is the sum of the kinetic energy and potential energy of the exhaust gases. In the context of rocket propulsion, the total energy is often expressed in terms of specific energy, which is the energy per unit mass.
The total energy () at the nozzle exit can be expressed as:
where,
- E is the Total Energy, i.e sum of kinetic and potential energy
- is the specific enthalpy of the exhaust gases,
- is the velocity of the exhaust gases.