Gas Turbine Engines

Considering about the automobile industry this is one of an advanced engine module that is designed to get huge power in small area. But these kinds of engines take more and more fuel to generate the power. Gas turbine engines are mostly used in aircrafts. Basically there are four kinds of gas turbine engines. They are divided by the way they generate the power. 

•       Turbofan engine
•       Turbo shaft engine
•        Turbo propeller engine
•        Turbo jet engine 

The gas turbine engine has 3 major units called  

• Compressor
• Combustion chamber
•  Turbine

Compressor

The task of the compressor is to compress the air that takes into the engine. In this unit it has several layers of compressing fans. In each layer it compresses the air that is taken into the engine.  The shape of the outer chamber and the shape of the inner fan layer help to make the successful compression of gas. When the engine start working this compressor is also started to rotate and compress the air. 

Combustion Chamber

This is the unit that fuel is taken place to burn and makes the energy.  In this chamber there are several fuel nozzles and those nozzles inject the fuel directly into the chamber. This is the place that makes the energy and because of that the temperature is increasing so much. So the materials should bare that temperature so it uses very tough materials. 

Turbine

This is the last unit of the gas turbine engine. In this unit energy of the burned air is converted to kinetic energy. Using several layers of turbine sets it is converted to the kinetic energy. After going through the turbine the burned air is exist to the atmosphere. All those three units are connected together by using a special rod.

How it works?

The first step needs external power and by using that external power the engine should rotate. For that engine has a starter motor which can start the rotation of the whole unit. When start the rotation compressor compress the air and intake is happening. Then the fuel nozzles start to inject the fuel to the chamber.  Then spark plugs are starting to make sparks. The specialty of this spark is it sparks continuously about few seconds (about 8 sec) and never sparks for the whole engine running state. Consider about the normal gasoline internal combustion engine it always spark frequently according to the timing that is adjusted. But this spark is only one time for the whole stating state.  But the fuel injectors are always injecting the fuel to the combustion chamber, not as in the gasoline internal combustion engine.  So it needs more and more fuel to keep the continuous running state.  Then the flame continuously burn and gas go through the turbine. When the burning is start the speed of the gas is increased to hundreds of miles per hour and that gas needs to flow out. The only way to flow out is to going through turbine. Then gas goes through the turbine and it makes kinetic energy on the turbine and it is rotating because of that energy. Now it can rotate the rotating units in combustion chamber and the compressor because all those units are connected through the rod.  Then the external power is no more needed and engine starts to self run.  That is how the gas turbine engine works. The way of energy that is taken out from the engine makes the difference of the engine type.  

Turbojet Engine

In this engine it makes power by thrusting the compressed air to the atmosphere. These kinds of engines are usually used in supersonic jets.  Because it needs thrusting power to push the vehicle.

Turbofan engine

In this engine the shaft itself rotate another fan that makes thrusts on the air. This is very advanced engine. Because very short type of engine makes so much thrusting power. These kinds of engines are used in the passenger aircraft.

Turbo propeller engine

In this engine the shaft itself rotate the propeller that that thrust the air to backside. Now a day’s these types of engines are not much popular.  These engines are used in a small personal kind of aircrafts.

Turbo shaft engine

In these types of engine the shaft is taken out to the engine. This shaft can be used to rotate any kind of machinery. Normally these types of engines are used in helicopters.

That is how this turbo engines are working on. Those are the basic functions of the turbo engines and the basic concepts of turbo engine.