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    TYpes of Gas Turbine Engines

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    neha gwalwansh
    The document discusses the four main types of turbine engines: turbojet, turboprop, turbofan, and turboshaft. It describes how each works through intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust stages. Key differences are that turboprops and turboshafts power propellers or rotors instead of producing thrust, while turbofans use bypass air for additional thrust and lower noise.

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    TYpes of Gas Turbine Engines

    Uploaded by

    neha gwalwansh
    15 views13 pages
    The document discusses the four main types of turbine engines: turbojet, turboprop, turbofan, and turboshaft. It describes how each works through intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust stages. Key differences are that turboprops and turboshafts power propellers or rotors instead of producing thrust, while turbofans use bypass air for additional thrust and lower noise.

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    The document discusses the four main types of turbine engines: turbojet, turboprop, turbofan, and turboshaft. It describes how each works through intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust stages. Key differences are that turboprops and turboshafts power propellers or rotors instead of producing thrust, while turbofans use bypass air for additional thrust and lower noise.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    15 views13 pages

    TYpes of Gas Turbine Engines

    Uploaded by

    neha gwalwansh
    The document discusses the four main types of turbine engines: turbojet, turboprop, turbofan, and turboshaft. It describes how each works through intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust stages. Key differences are that turboprops and turboshafts power propellers or rotors instead of producing thrust, while turbofans use bypass air for additional thrust and lower noise.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    You are on page 1of 13

    How The 4 Types Of Turbine

    Engines Work
    Gas powered turbine engines have come a long way since 1903. That was the
    first year a gas turbine produced enough power to keep itself running. The design
    was accomplished by Norwegian inventor Aegidus Elling, and it produced 11
    horsepower, which was a massive feat at the time.

    These days, gas turbine engines come in all shapes and sizes, and most of them
    produce a lot more than 11 horsepower. Here are the 4 main types of turbine
    engines, as well as the pros and cons of each.

    1) Turbojet Engine
    Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft

    Turbojet engines were the first type of gas turbine engine invented. And even
    though they look completely different than the reciprocating engine in your car or
    plane, they operate using the same theory: intake, compression, power,
    exhaust.
    Boldmethod

    How Does A Turbojet Work?


    Turbojets work by passing air through 5 primary sections of the engine:

    Step 1: Air Intake


    The air intake is essentially a tube in front of the engine. The air intake may look
    simple, but it's incredibly important. The intake's job is to smoothly direct air into
    the compressor blades. At low speeds, it needs to minimize the loss of airflow
    into the engine, and at supersonic speeds, it needs to slow the airflow below
    Mach 1 (the air flowing into a turbojet needs to be subsonic, regardless of
    how fast the airplane is flying).
    Step 2: Compressor
    The compressor is driven by the turbine in the rear of the engine, and its job is to
    compress the incoming air, significantly increasing the air's pressure. The
    compressor is a series of 'fans', each with smaller and smaller blades. As air
    passes through each compressor stage, it gets more compressed.

    Step 3: Combustion Chamber


    Next up is the combustion chamber, where the magic really starts happening.
    The high pressure air is combined with fuel, and the mixture is ignited. As the
    fuel/air mixture burns, it continues through the engine toward the turbine.
    Turbojets run very lean, with approximately 50 parts air to every 1 part of fuel
    (most reciprocating engines run anywhere from 6-to-1 to 18-to-1). One of the
    main reasons turbines run this lean is that extra airflow is needed to keep a
    turbojet cool.

    Step 4: Turbine
    The turbine is another series of 'fans', which work like a windmill, absorbing
    energy from the high speed air passing through it. The turbine blades are
    connected to and turn a shaft, which is also connected to the compressor blades
    at the front of the engine. The turbjet's 'circle of life' is almost complete.

    Step 5: Exhaust (aka "I'm outta here!")


    The high speed burned fuel/air mixture exits the engine through an exhaust
    nozzle. As the high speed air exits the rear of the engine, it produces thrust, and
    pushes the airplane (or whatever it's attached to) forward.

    Turbojet takeaway:

     Pros:
     Relatively simple design
     Capable of very high speeds
     Takes up little space
     Cons:
     High fuel consumption
     Loud
     Poor performance at slow speeds

    2) Turboprop Engine
    Live from the Flight Deck

    King Air with turboprop engines

    The next three types of turbine engines are all forms of the turbojet engine, and
    we'll start with the turboprop. The turboprop is a turbojet engine, connected to a
    propeller through a gearing system.
    Boldmethod

    How Does A Turboprop Work?


    Step 1: The turbojet spins a shaft, which is connected to a gearbox

    Step 2: A gears box slows down the spinning, and the slowest moving gear
    connects to the propeller

    Step 3: The propeller rotates through the air, producing thrust just like your
    Cessna 172

    Turboprop takeaway:
     Pros:
     Very fuel efficient
     Most efficient at mid-range speed between 250-400 knots
     Most efficient at mid-range altitudes of 18,000-30,000 feet
     Cons:
     Limited forward airspeed
     Gearing systems are heavy and can break down

    3) Turbofan Engine
    Live from the Flight Deck

    Some wide-body turbofan engines can produce more than 100,000 pounds of thrust

    Turbofans combine the best of both worlds between turbojets and turboprops.
    And, you'll probably see these engines when you head out to the airport for your
    next airline flight.
    Boldmethod

    How Does A Turbofan Work?


    Turbofans work by attaching a ducted fan to the front of a turbojet engine. The
    fan creates additional thrust, helps cool the engine, and lowers the noise output
    of the engine.

    Step 1: Inlet air is divided into two separate streams. One stream flows around
    the engine (bypass air), while the other passes through the engine core.

    Step 2: Bypass air passes around the engine and is accelerated by a duct fan,
    producing additional thrust.
    Step 3: Air flows through the turbojet engine, continuing the production of thrust.

    Turbofan takeaway:

     Pros:
     Fuel efficient
     Quieter than turbojets
     They look awesome
     Cons:
     Heavier than turbojets
     Larger frontal area than turbojets
     Inefficient at very high altitudes

    Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan with afterburner on an F-16

    4) Turboshaft Engine
    NASA

    Bell 206 helicopter with turboshaft engine

    Turboshaft engines are primarily used on helicopters. The biggest difference


    between turboshafts and turbojets is that turboshaft engines use the majority of
    their power to turn a turbine, rather than produce thrust out the back of the
    engine.

    Boldmethod

    How Does A Turboshaft Work?


    Turboshafts are essentially a turbojet engine with a large shaft connect to the
    back of it. And since most of these engines are used on helicopters, that shaft is
    connected to the rotor blade transmission.

    Step 1: The engine operates like a turbojet, for the most part.

    Step 2: The power shaft attached to the turbine powers the transmission.
    Step 3: The transmission transfers rotation from the shaft to the rotor blade.

    Step 4: The helicopter, through mostly unknown and magical means, is able to
    fly through the sky.

    Turboshaft takeaway:

     Pros:
     Much higher power-to-weight ratio than piston engines
     Typically smaller than piston engines
     Cons:
     Loud
     Gear systems connected to the shaft can be complex and break down

    4 Types Of Engines, Based On The Same Basic Concept


    Gas turbine engines have come a long way in the past 100 years. And while
    turbojets, turboprops, turbofans and turboshafts all have their differences, they
    way they produce power is essentially the same: intake, compression, power,
    and exhaust.

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