JET ENGINE

Topic No. -1
GAS TURBINE-INTRODUCTION
Principle of gas turbine engine
 Principle of the Gas Turbine Engine is basically the same as that
of the piston engine.
 Both propel a mass of air backwards
 Newton’s Third Law states: For every force acting on a
body, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
 Force=Mass x Acceleration
In a gas turbine engine the Mass is the air delivered by the
compressor. Acceleration is the difference in the outlet velocity
Vo of the air, to that of its inlet velocity VI, due to the addition
of heat energy.

REMEMBER:
Propeller Jet
Drives relatively Large mass of Throws a Small mass of air
air backwards with Low backwards with Large
acceleration acceleration

 In all instances the resultant reaction or thrust exerted on the

engine is proportional to the mass or weight of air expelled by
the engine and the velocity change imparted to it.
Working Cycle of gas turbine engine

 Working cycles of both the four stroke piston engine (the Otto
cycle) and the gas turbine engine (the Brayton cycle) are very
similar.
 Only one of the strokes is utilized in producing power in piston
engine, the other three effectively absorbing power,.
  while in the gas turbine engine the 3 ‘idle’ strokes have been
eliminated, thus allowing more time for the burning of fuel

 Gas turbine engine has greater power/ weight ratio than the
piston engine.
REMEMBER:
Propeller Jet
Combustion occurs at constant Combustion occurs
Volume theoretically at Constant
pressure.
Intermittent Cycle Continuous cycle

CONSTANT PRESSURE COMBUSTION

 Combustion occurs at a constant pressure in the gas turbine

engine.
 Achieved partially through the continuous process of the
Brayton Cycle and the fact that the combustion chamber is not
an enclosed space
 The use of low octane fuels and light construction methods
can be used

TEMPERATURE LIMITATIONS

 Turbojet is a heat engine.

 Higher the temperature attained in combustion the greater the
expansion of the gases and hence the greater efficiency of the
engine.
 There is however a limit to the amount of heat that can be
released into the turbine from combustion.
 This limit is imposed by the materials from which we
manufacture the nozzle guide vanes and the turbine blades.
BOYLE’s LAW

 If a given mass of gas is compressed at a constant temperature,

the absolute pressure is inversely proportional to its volume.
P×V=K
 In practice we cannot compress a gas at a constant
temperature.

CHARLE’s LAW
 If a gas is heated at a constant pressure, the change in volume
will vary directly with the change in the absolute temperature,
the change being the same for all perfect gases. Thus, the
volume of a given mass of gas which remains at a constant
pressure is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of
that gas.
 𝑉/𝑇=𝐾, Volume is directly proportional to absolute
temperature

COMBINED GAS LAW

 The product of the pressure and the volume of a quantity of gas

divided by its absolute temperature is a constant

 This means that the product of the pressure and volume of

the air throughout each stage of the working cycle is
proportional to the absolute temperature of the air at that
stage.

During compression

 Work is done to increase the pressure and decrease the

volume of the air.
  There is a corresponding rise in its temperature.
 Higher compression ratios give higher thermal efficiency and
low specific fuel consumption.
 Decrease in temperature will increase air density and the
compressor will have to work harder on the air; this will be
indicated by a drop in engine RPM, if not compensated by the
fuel control unit.

During combustion
 The addition of fuel to burn with the air increases the
temperature and there is a corresponding rise in its volume at
an almost constant pressure

During expansion
 When some of the energy in the gas stream is being converted
to mechanical energy by the turbine, there is a decrease in the
pressure and temperature of the gas with a corresponding
increase in its volume
 Topic No. -2
DUCT DESIGN

DUCT DESIGN
 As the air passes through the engine there are various changes
demanded in its velocity and pressure.
 Throughout the compression stage, the air must be
compressed but without any appreciable increase in its
velocity.
 At the exhaust nozzle, where the pressure of the gas is
dropped to that of ambient with a considerable increase in its
velocity.
 Divergent duct will increase the pressure of the air after it
leaves the final stage of the compressor and before it enters
the combustion chamber. This air, sometimes called
‘compressor delivery air’, is the highest pressure air in the
engine.

ADVANTAGE
 First an increase in pressure with no expenditure of energy in
driving the compressor.
 A decrease in velocity which will serve in making the task of
the combustion chamber less difficult

 Convergent duct is used to accelerate the gas as it passes

through the nozzle guide vanes on its way to the turbine
blades.
 The torque applied to the turbine blade is dependent, among
other things, upon the rate of gas flow into it
 If we convert some of the considerable pressure energy of the
gas stream into kinetic energy
 the design of these ducts is extremely important because the
efficiency with which the changes from velocity(Kinetic)
energy to pressure energy and vice versa occur are reflected
in the overall efficiency of the engine
AIRFLOW THROUGH A PURE TURBO – JET ENGINE

When a compressor and turbine are joined on one shaft the unit is
called a spool.
1. The energy required to drive the compressor is now extracted
from the gases as they pass through the turbine
2. The remaining energy is extracted to act as thrust as the gases
pass to atmosphere via the end of the jet pipe.
3. The flow follows conventional pattern from the compressor the air
is fed into the combustion chambers, fuel is now added to give the
substantial increase in volume required.

AIRFLOW THROUGH A TURBO PROP ENGINE

 There are two main parts of a turboprop propulsion system –

The Core engine and the Propeller
 The output from a turbo propeller engine is the sum of the
shaft power developed at the turbine and the residual jet
thrust

SHP at Turbine + Residual Jet Thrust = Equivalent shaft horse

power(ESHP)

 The core engine is very similar to a basic turbojet having a

compressor, burner and turbine.
 However at the unit of main turbine the hot exhaust gas is
passed through an additional turbine, before entering the
 nozzle, unlike a basic turbojet, most of the energy of the
exhaust is used to turn this additional turbine
 The gas expands in the turbine as drop in the temperature,
pressure and velocity is exchanged for the mechanical energy
to drive the compressor and the propeller through its reduction
gear

AIRFLOW THROUGH A TURBO SHAFT ENGINE

 The turbo-shaft engine can be thought of as a turbo-prop

engine with the propeller replaced by a shaft.
 This type of engine normally used as the APU.
 Turbo – shaft engines incorporate a free power turbine.
 A free power turbine is one that is not connected to any of the
compressors. This frees it from the constraint of having to
rotate at a speed that suits the compressor and this gives it a
much wider operating speed range.
 The single spool turbo-shaft engine has a reverse flow
combustion chamber system. This allows the engine to be
much shorter, stiffer and lighter than it otherwise would, but
does add the requirement for a centrifugal compressor to be
used in the high pressure stage. This allows for the air to be
thrown out radially in order that it can enter the combustion
 chamber in the correct direction.

Generally used in Helicopter.

AIRFLOW THROUGH A LOW RATIO BY-PASS ENGINE

 The By-Pass Ratio of an engine is the ratio of the amount of air

which is by-passed around the hot core of the engine, to the
amount of air which passes through the hot core
 A low ratio is considered to be 2 : 1, whereas a high ratio would
be around 5 : 1.
 The engine shown in a twin spool
  The airflow as far as the end of the low pressure compressor is
identical to that of a pure turbo-jet, but then the airflow splits
into two.
 An amount depending on the by-pass ratio will flow down the
by-pass duct and the remainder continues into the high
pressure (H.P.) compressor.
 From the H.P. compressor the air flows through the combustion
chambers and into the turbine before it rejoins the by-pass air
in the mixer unit of the exhaust system.
 Specific fuel consumption is appreciably lower for the high
ratio by -pass engine

AIRFLOW THROUGH A HIGH BY – PASS (TURBO – FAN) ENGINE

 The triple spool front fan turbo-jet engine

  The thrust of this type of engine is almost completely
dependent on the by-pass airflow which has a high mass and
relatively low velocity
 The air which passes through the intermediate and high
pressure compressors has a great deal of energy added in the
combustion chambers, but this energy is required to drive the
compressors.
 The rearmost, or the low pressure turbine, is responsible for
extracting virtually all of the energy that remains in the gas
stream to drive the front fan.
 There should be only residual thrust remaining when the hot
gases emerge from the turbine.

Propulsive Efficiency
Thrust is the product of mass times acceleration. It can be
demonstrated that the same amount of thrust can be provided
either by imparting a low acceleration to a large mass of air, or
by giving a small mass of air a large acceleration.
The efficiency of conversion of kinetic energy to propulsive
work is termed propulsive or external efficiency
Modular Construction Methods

Engine manufacturers, in an attempt to minimise the financial

burden imposed upon the users of their equipment in the event of
failure, have started to use Modular Construction Methods which
facilitate changing sections of an engine rather than the whole
engine.
Questions
1. When gases pass through a convergent duct their:
a. velocity and temperature increase and their pressure decreases
b. their velocity increases and their temperature and pressure
decrease **
c. their velocity decreases and their temperature and pressure
increase
d. they expand adiabatically
2. Select the correct order of best propulsive efficiency, from low
to high airspeed.
a. High bypass ratio turbojet, Low bypass ratio turbojet, Pure
turbojet, Turboprop
b. Low bypass ratio turbojet, Pure turbojet, Turboprop, High
bypass ratio turbojet
c. Pure turbojet, Turboprop, High bypass ratio turbojet, Low
bypass ratio turbojet
 d. Turboprop, High bypass ratio turbojet, Low bypass ratio
turbojet, Pure turbojet **
3. The highest pressure in a gas turbine engine occurs:
a. between the compressor and the combustion chamber **
b. in the combustion chamber
c. in the jet pipe
d. at the P1 probe
4. In a turbofan engine, the fan speed is controlled by:
a. a reduction gear
b. a wastegate
c. the turbine **
d. varying the pitch
5. In a High Bypass Ratio engine:
a. all of the air goes through both the low and high pressure
compressors
b. not all the air goes through the high pressure compressor **
c. not all the air goes through the low pressure compressor
d. all the air goes through the high pressure compressor
6. Modular construction:
a. is only used on turboprop engines
b. cannot be used on high ratio engines
c. has a weight saving function
d. enables malfunctioning sections of the engine to be changed
without changing the whole engine **
7. The Bypass Ratio of an engine is the ratio of:
a. primary air to tertiary air
b. cold stream air to that flowing through the hot core of the
engine **
c. exhaust gas pressure to air intake pressure
d. primary air to secondary air
8. The Gas Turbine Engine uses the principle of:
a. Newton’s Third Law of motion **
b. creating thrust equal to the weight of the aircraft
c. expelling air at the same speed as that of the aircraft
d. the fluid flywheel
9. The addition of heat in a combustion chamber allows a:
a. large expansion at a substantially constant pressure**
 b. large expansion at a constant volume
c. large expansion at a decreasing static pressure
d. minimum expansion at a constant volume
10. In a divergent duct:
a. the pressure decreases and the temperature and velocity
increases
b. the pressure, velocity and temperature increases
c. the pressure temperature increases and the velocity decreases
**
d. the pressure decreases, the temperature increases and the
velocity remains constant
11. In a twin spool engine:
a. the LP compressor is connected to the HP compressor
b. the HP turbine is connected to the LP compressor, the LP
turbine is connected to the HP compressor
c. the LP turbine is connected to the LP compressor, the HP
turbine is connected to the HP compressor **
d. the HP turbine is connected to the LP turbine, the HP
compressor is connected to the LP compressor
12. A Bypass Ratio of 5:1 means that:
a. 5 pounds of air is bypassed for every 10 pounds entering the
engine intake
b. 5 pounds of goes through the HP compressor for every 10
pounds that enters the intake
c. 10 pounds of air goes through the bypass for every 5 pounds
that enters the intake
d. 5 pounds of air is bypassed for every 1 pound that goes
through the hot core of the engine **
13. Aft of the compressor:
a. the velocity of the airflow remains the same
b. the velocity of the airflow decreases before the combustion
chamber **
c. the velocity increases before the combustion chamber
d. the air pressure decreases before the combustion chamber
14. The fan in a ducted fan engine, is driven by:
a. the high pressure turbine
b. the rearmost turbine **
 c. the intermediate pressure turbine
d. all of the above
15. In a bypass engine, the bypass air:
a. increases the air mass flow and therefore increases the
propulsive efficiency **
b. cools the combustion chamber and therefore increases the
thermal efficiency
c. reduces the air mass flow and therefore increases the
propulsive efficiency
d. increases the air mass flow and therefore reduces the
propulsive efficiency
16. The majority of the thrust of a:
a. turbofan engine comes from the turbine exhaust
b. turboprop engine comes from the turbine exhaust
c. turboshaft engine comes from the free power turbine exhaust
d. turbofan engine comes from the bypass air **
17. A pure turbojet engine gives:
a. a small acceleration to a large mass of air
b. a large acceleration to a large mass of air
c. a small acceleration to a small mass of air
d. a large acceleration to a small mass of air **
18. During the Brayton cycle, combustion takes place:
a. continuously **
b. once every revolution
c. once every other revolution
d. only during the start cycle