How does a turbine engine work? Do you want to know? Then let me provide you with some interesting facts today. A turbo jet engine is a simple turbine engine. It functions by increasing the air pressure and temperature. As a result, this creates a high velocity that makes the jet engine move forward.
This article will explain the technology behind the jet engine in a logical step-By-step Manner. The things that you will learn from this article:
- How does a Turbine Engine Work?
- Newton’s Third Law of Motion
- How to create very hot and high-speed air to escape through the engine? How does this help in the jet engine?
- Combustion Chamber
- Compressor Stages
- Turbine
- 2 Spool Arrangement
- Turbo Jet Engine
- Turbo Fan Engine
- How to keep the noise of the jet engine to a minimum?
How does a Turbine Engine Work?
Jet engines have been the successful drivers of aircraft for nearly a century now. A jet engine keeps an aircraft moving forward using a very simple principle.
Newton’s Third Law of Motion
“To Every Action, there is an Equal and Opposite Reaction.”
![Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction](https://www.voltagelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/spherical-ball-joint-746194_640.jpg)
Now, you might be thinking about how this law is applicable for jet engines. This law is the most prominent principle for jet engines. There is a production of a reaction force by the high-speed jet at the tail of the jet. This makes the engine move forward.
Let us learn using Analogy.
You must have got a chance to see balloons fly up when air leaks from the bottom. Air-filled balloons move upwards due to high-velocity downward force by the inner air. This produces an upward reaction force. This takes the balloon upwards. This is the basis of Newton’s Third Law.
You can view a similar mechanism in jet engines.
How to create a very Hot and High-Speed Air to Escape through the Engine? How does this help in the Jet Engine?
The working of a jet engine is all about producing a High-speed jet at the exit.
Why we need to heat the incoming air:
- The higher the speed of the jet the greater the thrust force.
- The thrust force makes an aircraft move forward.
- There are many techniques to achieve such high-speed exhaust.
- If you can heat the incoming air to a high temperature it will expand tremendously and will create a high velocity.
Combustion Chamber
Now, in order to expand the air to a higher temperature, a combustion chamber comes in handy:
- An atomized form of the fuel is burnt in the combustion chamber.
- Effective combustion requires air to be at moderately high temperatures and pressure.
Compressor Stages
To bring the air to a higher temperature and pressure a set of compressor stages become very useful:
- The rotating blades of the compressor add energy to the fluid.
- Its temperature and pressure rise to a level suitable to sustain combustion.
Turbine
![A turbine](https://www.voltagelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/engine-103079_640.jpg)
The compressor receives the energy for the rotation from a turbine.
How a turbine helps:
- This turbine stays right after the combustion chamber.
- The attachment of the compressor and turbine are to the same shaft.
- The High-energy fluid that leaves the chamber makes the turbine blades turn.
- The turbine blades have a special airfoil shape.
- It creates lift force and makes them turn.
- As the turbine absorbs energy from the fluid its pressure drops.
The turbine has two parts:
- Rotor Blade
- Stator Blade
Here, the temperature rises from 10°C to 450°C and the pressure reaches 3500 kilopascals from 75 kilopascals. Through these steps, we can say why it is important to heat the air in a jet engine.
The engine case becomes narrower towards the outlet. As a result, there is a creation of an even greater jet velocity. In short the combination of the compressor, combustion chamber and turbine makes the aircraft move forward.
2 Spool Arrangement
Modern aircraft use a slightly different compressor turbine arrangement which we know as a two-spool arrangement.
![How does a turbine engine work- jet engine](https://www.voltagelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/engine-184298_640.png)
How it works:
- There are two independent turbine compressor stages here.
- The shaft of the outer compressor turbine passes in-between through the inner one.
- The outer turbine comes in contact with a low-energy fluid.
- The outer turbine runs at a slower speed than the inner turbine.
- Low-pressure blades become longer.
- This low speed helps to reduce centrifugal stress at the root.
This improves the blade’s life.
There are 2 parts involved in this arrangement:
- Outer Compressor
- Outer Turbine
Some modern aircraft even use a three-spool engine.
Turbo Jet Engine
Turbo jet engines are typical air-breathing jet engines. Its use is mostly in aircraft. The engine we so far came to know today is more specifically a turbo jet engine. A disadvantage of it is that it tends to produce high levels of noise.
Turbo Fan Engine
![How does a turbine engine work- AirCraft Situation](https://www.voltagelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210623_224347_0000_compress51-640x1024.jpg)
A Revolutionary Improvement to this engine is the placement of a large fan with the low-pressure spool. These engines are what we know as Turbo fan engines. Almost every commercial aircraft runs using them. A Turbo fan engine bypass is a huge amount of air. The narrow bypass duct provides a good jet velocity to the passing air in a turbo fan engine.
How the Fan helps in the process:
- The majority of the thrust force comes from the fan’s reaction force. So, here also you can see the application of Newton’s third law of motion.
- Furthermore, the fan greatly improves Airflow in the system by sucking in more air.
- Thus it helps to improve the thrust. This means the creation of high thrust with an expense of slightly less fuel.
- This is the reason why Turbo fan engines highly fuel economical.
The Turbo Fan Engine also has two parts:
- Rotor Blade
- Stator Blade
How to keep the Noise of the Jet Engine to a Minimum?
The noise produced by a jet engine depends highly on the exit jet velocity. In a turbofan, the passing cold air mixes with the hot air. So, it is possible to keep the outlet velocity within a limit.
Thus it overcomes the noise problem.
The Turbo Fan Engines dominate the aircraft propulsion systems.
Merits:
- Quieter exhaust
- Better fuel economy
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my ultimate guide to how does a turbine engine work.
Now I’d like to hear from you: which technique from today’s guide did you like? Are you going to tell your friends about it?
Either way, let me know by leaving a quick comment below.
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