Water rocket simulator

Application Purpose and Capabilities

This application simulates simple rocket engine, consisting of chamber with pressurized gas and liquid. Rocket thrust is generated through expulsion of either liquid or gas, caused by the expansion of gas. Users have the flexibility to select from a list of predefined gases or introduce custom ones.

The simulation consists of three stages:

1. Start from the launch rod
2. Liquid expulsion
3. Gas expulsion

Beyond individual simulations, the program offers a feature allowing users to visualize plots depicting output values against varying input parameters. This functionality not only supports the efficient design of rocket motors but also aids in understanding the physical model behind the simulation.

For a comprehensive understanding of the physics behind the simulation and to learn how to use the program correctly, I highly recommend referring to the documentation.

Here's a picture that shows how the program works:

Features

1. Easy-to-Use Interface: Enjoy a super extra cool graphical setup that makes everything clear and easy to understand.

2. Project Export Option: Save your projects in a .eng file format that allows you to import your engine to Open Rocket projects.

3. Total Control Over Variables: Tweak all the important engine settings just the way you want, so you get the results you're looking for.

4. Customizable Gases and Liquids: Use your own custom gases and liquids to fit your setup or choose gas from list.

5. Optimization Made Simple: Play around with an optimization system that visually shows you the best values for different variables. Optimalization system shows you plots of important values depending on input variable in range of your choosing.

6. Save and Load Projects: Keep your work organized by easily saving and loading your projects.

7. Efficiency coefficients Implement empirically determined efficiency coefficients, set different values for each distinct phase.

These features all come together to make a simulator for a compressed gas and liquid engine. It helps you figure out and control engine values in efficient and visually informative way.

Prerequisites

Before running the simulator.py, make sure you have the following prerequisites installed:

1. Python: The application requires Python. You can download the latest version of Python from python.org, Windows store or using terminal.

2. Matplotlib: This library is used for plotting and visualizing data. You can install it using the following command:

   pip install matplotlib

3. Tkinter: Tkinter is Python's standard GUI (Graphical User Interface) package. It is included with most Python installations, so you usually don't need to install it separately. However, if you encounter issues, ensure that Tkinter is installed.

Running the Application

Windows PowerShell

1. Download Python:

   • Open your web browser and go to python.org.

   • Download the latest version of Python for Windows.

   • During installation, make sure to check the box that says "Add Python to PATH."

   • Or install it using Windows Store

2. Install Required Packages: Open PowerShell and run the following commands to install the required packages:

   pip install matplotlib

3. Run the Application: Navigate to the directory containing simulator.py and run the following command:

   python simulator.py

Linux Ubuntu

1. Install Python:

   • Open the terminal.

   • Run the following commands to install Python:

     sudo apt update
     sudo apt install python3

2. Install Required Packages: Open the terminal and run the following commands:

   sudo apt install python3-pip
   pip3 install matplotlib

3. Run the Application: Navigate to the directory containing simulator.py in the terminal and run the following command:

   python3 simulator.py

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In case of problems with instalation and opening simulator.py just use google or chat GPT. Instalation and opening should be relatively simple on both Windows or Linux.

To do:

1. Find bugs