Aircraft engine performance parameters

Propulsive efficiency
 It is a measure on how effectively the engine power is used to power the aircraft. Deals
about unused kinetic energy available with the hot gas exiting from nozzle
 Propulsive efficiency, p is defined as the ratio of power delivered to the aircraft to the
power output of the engine.

Thurst  aircraft speed

p 
Exit KE - Inlet KE

FU
p  .
1 1 . 2
me ue  mi U
2

2 2
Assume f is very small and the nozzle is at optimum expansion
U 
2 
2 2U u
p     e
ue
 1 ue  U 1   U 
U u 
 e

Aircraft Engines (AE 242)

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
 Aircraft engine performance parameters
Propulsive efficiency
 It is a measure on how effectively the engine power is used to power the aircraft. Deals
about unused kinetic energy available with the hot gas exiting from nozzle
 Propulsive efficiency, p is defined as the ratio of power delivered to the aircraft to the
power output of the engine.
2
p 
ue
1
U

ue
U

Aircraft Engines (AE 242)

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
 Aircraft engine performance parameters
Thermal efficiency
 Thermal efficiency, T is defined as the ratio of power output (kinetic energy) of the
engine to the rate of thermal energy available from the fuel in the engine.

1 . 2 1 . 2 1  m.  m . u 2  1 m. U 2
me ue  mi U  i fuel  e i
2 2 2  2
T  .
 .
m fuel QR m fuel QR
where Q R  Heat of reaction of the fuel
  U 2 
.  2
u U  u 2 1    
2
mi 1  f  
e
 e  
 2 2    ue  
T  .

m fuel QR 2 fQR

Aircraft Engines (AE 242)

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
 Aircraft engine performance parameters
Overall efficiency
 Overall efficiency, o is defined as the ratio of power delivered to the aircraft to the rate of
thermal energy available from the fuel in the engine.
 o   p T
2
U  U 
2  1   
u  ue 
  e 
 U   2 fQ  U  2
1     R
 
 ue   U  ue 
2

U 
1   
o   ue 
 Q  U 
f  R2  
 U  ue 

Aircraft Engines (AE 242)

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
 Aircraft engine performance parameters
Specific impulse and Range
 Specific impulse, Isp is defined as the thrust produced per unit fuel weight flow rate.
 Unit is in seconds

F
I sp  .
g m fuel

Consider an aircraft under steady level flight conditions.

Thrust (T) = Drag (D)
Lift (L) = Weight of aircraft (W)
(L/D) – Lift to drag ratio is an importance aircraft
performance parameter
 L W m g
Thrust T  F  D    ac
 L D   L D  L D 
where m ac  Total mass of aircraft at any instant of time

m fuel 
d
m fuel    d mac   rate of decrease of total mass
dt dt

Aircraft Engines (AE 242)

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
 Aircraft engine performance parameters
Specific impulse and Range

F m g 1
I sp   ac
gm fuel L D   d 
 g mac 
 dt 
d m ac
 mac   
dt I sp L D 
If ds is the distance travelled in time dt, then we can write
dmac dmac ds dmac
  U
dt ds dt ds
dmac m ac dmac 1
U    ds
ds I sp L D  m ac UI sp L D 
Assume U , I sp and ( L / D ) are constants
m  1
ln ac , 2    s2  s1 
m
 ac,1  UI sp  L D 
m 
s2  s1  Range  UI sp L D  ln ac ,1 
 mac , 2 
Note that mac , 2  mac ,1  m fuel where m fuel  mass of fuel burned during the flight
 mac ,1 
s2  s1  UI sp L D  ln 
m m 
 ac ,1 fuel 

Aircraft Engines (AE 242)

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
 Aircraft engine performance parameters
Specific impulse and Range
For long range transport aircraft (for example bombers) and logistic aircrafts,
the fuel weight is substantial part of total aircraft weight. Hence the ratio
mac
1
mac  m fuel
This affects the range logarithmically. However, U , I sp and L / D  affect s2  s1 
directly.

For short range aircraft such as military fighters, helicopters, etc., m fuel is small
compared to mac and hence
mac
1
mac  m fuel
Then mac is as important as U , I sp and L / D  to have an effect on s2  s1 
directly, and hence must be more important.

Aircraft Engines (AE 242)

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
 Aircraft engine performance parameters
Specific impulse and overall efficiency
By definition
FˆU
o 
m fuel QR
 
FˆU U  Fˆ 
o    d 
d Q
 mac QR R   mac  
dt  dt 
 ˆ
But 
d
mac   mac  1  mac   1  F 
dt I sp L / D  I sp  L / D   I sp  g 
 
 
U  Fˆ  Q
o     UI sp  o R
QR  1  Fˆ   g
 
 I sp  g  
  
Substitute in the range formula
 Q  L   
mac
s2  s1   o  R   ln 
 g  D   mac  m fuel


Hence the range is directly proportional to the overall efficiency

Aircraft Engines (AE 242)

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science