Basics of A Turboprop Engine

P M V Subbarao
Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department

Enjoy the flying but pay for road travel ……

Economy Flying
AN 12 :
CRUISE SPEED : 520 km/h
PAYLOAD : 18000 KG
Range: 2400 km
Maximum altitude: 7600 m
 Requirements of Economic Flying
• In recent years, interest in highly efficient flight transportation
is renewed.
• This has spurred investigation into very high bypass ratio fans.
• Some economic optimization of turbofan cycle shows a bypass
ratio of 100.
• The weight of cowl and drag due to the cowl will have high
penalty on total cost if bypass ratio is greater than 25.
• This led to thinking of high bypass ratio open turbofan engines.
• Turboprops.
Philosophy of Fuel Economy
 Turboprop Engine : Just for Fuel Economy
p06  p05 r0 p ,turb
T06  T05 0 p ,turb

3 4
5 6 7
1’
2
p02=p01= p03 = p0∞ p04 =r0p,comp p0∞ = p05
1 T02=T01 = T03 = T0∞ T04= =0p,comp T0∞
 Three Spool Turboprop Engine

VU
 Actuator disc theory for Propeller

pJD
p p
pJU VD
VU p0JD p0D
p0U p0JU

1 JU JD 1
 Power Consumed by Propeller

The ideal shaft power can be found using the integral energy
equation on the control volume:
 V 2
p V 2
pi 
W propeller  m 
 o
 o
 i
 
 2  2  

V2
Vi 
2  Vo2 Vi 2 
W propeller  m
  o
  W propeller  Vi A  
 2 2   2 2 
 Shaft Power Balance for Turboprop

Law of Turboprop W compressor  W propeller  W turbine

3  4  1  1'  5  6
mcore c pT0  1   0 p ,comp   W  m 1  f  c T 1   
 
propeller core p 05 0 p ,turb

m c pT0 1   0 p ,comp   W propeller  m 1  f  c p  0,ccT0 1   0 p ,turb 

  1 2  W propeller    1 2 
1  2 M ac  1   0 p ,comp   m c T  1  2 M ac  1  f   0,cc 1   0 p ,turb 
  p   

  1 2    1 2 
1  2 M ac  1   0 p ,comp   C prop  1  2 M ac  1  f  0,cc 1   0 p ,turb 
   
 Propeller (Reaction) Power

W prop  FT , propVac
FT , propVac
Propeller work coefficient: C prop 
m core c pT

  1 2 
C prop  1  M ac 1  f  0,cc 1   0 p ,turb    0 p ,comp  1
 2 

•The work coefficient of a propeller depends on compressor

pressure ratio and turbine pressure ratio.
•The compressor pressure ratio and turbine pressure ratio are two
independent design variables for a turboprop.