MODULE SIX

GAS TURBINE ENGINE

PRINCIPLES 0F OPERATION
 OBJECTIVE
• WITHOUT REFERENCE TRAINEES
WILL BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE, THE
FUNCTION,CONSTRUCTION AND
CLASSIFICATION OF GAS TURBINE
ENGINES AS PER THE APPLICABLE
TEXT BOOKS, MATERIALS AND
MANUALS OF INSTRUCTIONS.
 MODULE SIX OVERVIEW
A. Module Six Contents
1.History and development of jet propulsion
principles
2.Early jet engine development
3.Turbojet engine development
4.The world’s first turbojet powered aircraft
flight
5.Gas turbine engine fundamentals:
 Contd.
a. Principal terms, definitions and abbreviations
b. Symbols and their meanings
c. Laws of physics as applied to jet engines
d. Principles of jet engine aerodynamics
e. Principles of jet engine thermodynamics
f. Gas turbine engine theory
g. Thrust compared with horsepower
h. Factors affecting thrust
i. Jet engine requirement and thrust distribution
j. Thrust measurement
k. Compressibility
 Contd.
B. Evaluation Measures
1.Feedback questions
2.Test items
a. Multiple choice
b. Essay type
c. Fill in the blanks
NB. The passing mark is 70%
 Contd.
C. Reference Materials
1.Aircraft Powerplants by Bent/McKinley fifth edition pages
429-437
2.Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic, Powerplant Handbook(AC65-
12A) pages 38-42
3.Aviation Technician Integrated Training Program (ITP) pages 1-
31
4.Jet Aircraft Power Systems Third Edition pages 1-20
5.The Aircraft Gas Turbine Engine and its Operation pages 1-23
and 44-46
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
OF JET PROPULSION
ENGINES
 The Squid and Cuttlefish

• Earliest form of jet

propulsion
• Aquatic fish uses jet
propulsion for
locomotion
 Aeolipile
• Built by Heron of
Alexandria, Egypt,
about 250 BC.
• Steam pressure
through jets rotates
sphere
 Rockets
• Rockets were constructed
as early as 1232 by
Mongols for use in war
and fireworks displays
 Chinese Rocket
• Chinese scholar named
Wan Hu built a sledge for
transportation using
rockets as a means of
propulsion.
• The rocket blast was
excessive and he
became the first martyr in
humanity’s struggle to
achieve flight
 Da Vinci’s Chimney Jack
• Leonardo Da Vinci
described the
chimney jack
around 1500 AD
• A chimney fitted
with spit used to
turn roasting meat
 Branca’s Stamping Mill
• Giovanni Branca built
the stamping mill in
1629.
• Boiler produces steam
to rotate the first
actual impulse
turbines
• Rotating turbine is
used to do work.
 Newton’s Steam (Horseless)
Carriage
• It is thought that Willem Jako Gravesande, a Dutchman,
actually designed this horseless carriage in 1680 and that
Isaac Newton may have only supplied the idea
• Provides illustration of Newton’s third law of motion
– For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
 First Gas Turbine
• In 1791 John Barber, an
Englishman, was the first to
patent a design utilizing the
thermodynamic cycle of the
modern gas turbine
• He suggested its use for jet
propulsion
 BRITISH
• In 1926 Dr. A.A Griffith developed a theory
• In 1930 Sir Frank Whittle added the theory into a better
form.
• In 1936 the first jet company was established and
production started
• In 1941 First flight by Whittle W-1 engine on Gloster
E28/39 experimental airplane.
 AMERICANS
• In 1918 Dr. Sanford A.
Moss supervised the
production of the gas
turbine driven turbo
supercharger for
reciprocating engines
• Credit for the basic idea
for the turbo
supercharger is given to
Rateau of France
 Americans
• The first GTE built in USA was in 1902
under the supervision of Dr Sanford A.
Moss.
• First successful flight by Bell XP-59
aircraft powered by two GE-1A engines in
1942
 Germans
• In 1937 Han Von Ohain built and ran his
first demonstration jet engine.
• On August 27, 1939 the first jet engine
(Hes3B) flight was made on the Heinkel
He 178 aircraft.
 Italian
• In 1940 Secundo Campini designed jet
propelled monoplane at Caproni Company
• It consisted of a ducted fan engine where
the compressor of the engine was driven
by a reciprocating engine.
• Engine was inefficient due to its excessive
weight
 Russians
• Since everything was secret in the former
Soviet Union the jet engine production
was known to have been built after the
second world war.
• The Russian technology has contributed
for engine development in various aspects
 Gas Turbine Engines after the
Second World War
• Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Rolls
Royce, Garrett, General Motors-Allison,
Snecma, Textron-Lycoming, and etc.
companies now produce the bulk of gas
turbine engines for aviation industry .
• These companies and others have all
capitalized on earlier technological
discoveries.
 GAS TURBINE ENGINE
FUNDAMENTALS

I. Physics laws applicable to engines

II. Propulsion & thrust calculations
III. Jet engine aerodynamics
IV. Factors that affect GTE operation
Comparison of GTE & propellers
 Applicable Physics Laws
• Gas laws
– Boyle’s law
– Charles’s law
– Gay-Lussac’ law
– General gas law
• Newton’s laws of motion
• Thermodynamics laws
 BOYLE’S LAW
• When the temperature of a confined gas
was kept constant and the pressure
doubled the volume was reduced to half
the former value.
PV = Constant
 CHARLE’S LAW
• All gases expand and contract in direct
proportion to the change in the absolute
temperature, provided the pressure is kept
constant.
V/T = Constant
 GENERAL GAS LAW
• It is the combination of Boyle’s and
Charles’s laws.
• Given initial state it can be used to define
state of the gas after a certain process.

P1V1 / T1 = P2V2 / T2
 Newton’s laws of motion
• First law:
law an object remains at rest unless
disturbed by an external force
• Second law:
law the acceleration of a body is
directly proportional to the fraction of the
force and the mass of the body
• Third law:
law for every action there is an
equal and opposite reaction
 Description of Newton’s Law

This
Equal pressure in all This pressure
pressure is
direction (zero net force) remains released

Unequal pressure
causes moving force
 Maintain Constant Pressure

Net force

• Maintaining Balloon pressure assures the

resultant net force to act continuously.
 Placing The Burner
• Placing a burner will
increase the volume
flow rate of the air
stream.
• It will increase the
change in momentum
• Some of these energy
is used to drive the
turbine thus the
compressor.
Newton’s Third Law

For every action, there

is an equal and
opposite reaction.
Example:
– Pistol Recoil
– Lawn sprinkler
– Motor boat
– Jet-engine thrust
Newton’s Third Law
Example:
– Pistol Recoil
– Fire hose
– Balloon
– Jet-engine thrust
 THERMODYNAMICS
• The branch of physics which seeks to
derive, from a few basic postulates,
relationships between properties of matter,
especially those which are affected by
changes in temperature.
• It also describes of conversion of energy
from one form to another.
– First law
– Second law
 First Law of Thermodynamics

• It is the law of conservation of energy.

• When heat energy is added to (removed
from) a system an equal amount of some
other form of energy appears
(disappears).
• This law applies for all heat engines
– Reciprocating engine
– Turbine engine, etc.
 Second Law of Thermodynamics
• Heat flows spontaneously from a hotter to a
colder object, but not vice versa. Because of
this, it is impossible for a system to transfer heat
from a lower temperature body to a higher
temperature body in definitely unless external
work is done on the system.
• This law is used to explain temperature
difference between combustion chamber and
turbine or jet nozzle.
 Thermodynamics application
• GTEs follow the
Brayton engine cycle
• It is a constant
pressure cycle

Point 1 2 3 4 5 6
 WHAT IS PROPULSION?
• Latin words: pro meaning
forward and pellere meaning
to drive.
• Propulsion means to push
forward or drive an object
forward.
• A propulsion system is a
machine that produces thrust
to push an object forward.
• On airplanes, thrust is
usually generated through
some application of
Newton's third law of motion
(action and reaction).
 What is thrust?
LIFT

THRUS
T

DRA
G

LOAD
 Thrust Equation
• 1. F=ma
» Where F= Force
» m= Mass
» a= Acceleration
• 2.F=W/g x (V2-V1)
» Where F= Force in pounds
» W= Flow rate in lbs/sec of air, gas, or a liquid,
. such as fuel
» V1= Initial velocity of a mass of air, gas, or a
. liquid in ft/sec
» V2= Final velocity of a mass of air, gas, or a
. liquid in ft/sec
» g= Gravitational acceleration, 32.2 ft/sec/sec

• Note: m=W/g; Where m= Mass

 Thrust Equation
• Momentum is the impulse imparted to the air, fuel, and
products of combustion that pass through the engine.
• 3.F=(W/g x V2) – (W/g x V1)
• The force generated when a mass is accelerated through a
jet engine becomes the difference between the final
momentum of the mass and the initial momentum of the
mass.
• 4.Fn=Outgoing exhaust gas momentum –
(Incoming air momentum + Incoming fuel
momentum)
» Where Fn= Net thrust in lbs
 Thrust Equation
• Net thrust is the thrust that results from the change
in momentum of the mass of air and fuel that
passes through the engine.
• 5.Fn=[(Wa/g+Wf/g) x Vj] – [(Wa/g x Va) +
(Wf/g x Vf)]
– Where Wa = Airflow through the engine in lbs/sec
– Wf = Fuel flow in lbs/sec
– Vj = Exhaust gas velocity in ft/sec
– Va= Incoming air velocity in ft/sec
– Vf= Incoming fuel velocity in ft/sec
 Thrust Equation
• The incoming air velocity, Va, will be approximately
equivalent to the speed of the aircraft.
• The incoming fuel velocity, Vf, is considered zero
because the fuel is carried aboard the aircraft, and
therefore will have no initial velocity relative to the
engine
• 6.Fn=[(Wa/g+Wf/g) x Vj] – (Wa/g x Va + 0)
• Or, transposing
• 7.Fn=Wa/g(Vj-Va) + Wf/g(Vj)
 Thrust Equation
• When conventional subsonic jet nozzles are used, all of the
pressure within the engine cannot be converted to velocity.
• This unconverted pressure and the thrust it generates
become more and more pronounced as the speed of the
aircraft increases, particularly at supersonic air speeds.
• 8.Fn=Wa/g(Vj-Va) + Wf/g(Vj) + Aj(Pj-Pam)
– Where Aj=Area of engine jet nozzle in sq.ft.
– Pj=Static pressure at the jet nozzle discharge in lbs/sq.ft
– Pam=Static pressure of the ambient (outside) air at the
. jet nozzle in lbs/sq.ft
 Thrust Equation
• In actual practice, fuel flow is usually neglected
when net thrust is computed, because the weight
of air that leaks from various sections of the engine
is assumed to be approximately equivalent to the
weight of the fuel consumed.
• Therefore, the final equation (not considering fuel
flow) for computing the net thrust produced by a
turbojet engine becomes:
• 9. Fn=Wa/g (Vj-Va) + Aj (Pj-Pam)
Thrust with Choked Nozzle
 Thrust Equation
• Gross thrust is the thrust developed at the engine
exhaust nozzle.
• This includes both the thrust generated by the
outgoing momentum of the exhaust gases and the
additional thrust resulting from the difference between
the static pressure at the nozzle and the static
pressure of the ambient air.
• Gross thrust does not take the incoming momentum of
the air and fuel into consideration.
• Zero incoming momentum is assumed, which is true
only when the engine is static.
 Thrust Equation
• Without considering fuel flow, the equation for
gross thrust is:
• Fg=Wa/g(Vj) + Aj(Pj-Pam)
» Where Fg=Gross thrust
• When an aircraft and engine are static, as when
the aircraft is parked, or when an engine is being
run up prior to takeoff at the end of a runway, net
thrust and gross thrust are equal.
• The same is true when an engine is being
operated in a ground test stand.
 Thrust Measurement
• For small shaft driving engines
– Torque
– RPM
• For other engines a relative scale is used
– Floating stand with a calibrated scale
– Dynamometer
– Engine pressure ratio
 Jet Engine Aerodynamics
• Unlike reciprocating engines air flows
continuously from the inlet to the exhaust.
• This flow involves many changes in velocity
(but no stops or starts)
 Jet Engine Aerodynamics
• 1.Airbreathing
• A jet engine is often called an airbreathing engine.
It breathes continuously as opposed to intermittent
type of breathing of the lung. It breathes air
continuously from the entrance to the jet nozzle.
The jet engine is a tube engine.
• 2.Primary Flow
• It is the flow of air used for combustion.
• 3.Secondary Flow
• It is the flow of air used for cooling.
 Jet Engine Aerodynamics
• 4.Axial Flow
• Flow of air parallel to the axis or lengthwise center line of the
engine.
• 5.Centrifugal Flow
• Flow of air compressed by centrifugal force. Flow of air from
center to outward.
• 6.Compressor Aerodynamics
• Compressor blades are small airfoils.
• They have camber difference.
• Camber difference creates pressure difference.
• Therefore, the pressure in the compressor varies from stage
to stage.
 Jet Engine Aerodynamics
• Various parts of a GTE contribute to the
total thrust
 Jet Engine Aerodynamics
• A bypass engine produces thrust outside
the core engine.
 GTE Stationing
• For ease of discussion GTE is divided into
two sections, namely HOT & COLD
sections
 GTE Stationing
• Further the engine is sub-divided into
functional blocks
– Inlet
– Compressor
– Burner
– Turbine
– Exhaust
 GTE Stationing
• Station numbers denote specific
locations on engine
 GTE Stationing
• Station numbers denote specific
locations on engine
 GTE Stationing
• Station numbers denote specific
locations on engine
 Review Questions
1. Considering the formulas for work, force,
power, horsepower, velocity, and acceleration,
which three formulas are expressed in units
with respect to time?
2. Which of Newton’s laws states the principle of
action-reaction?
3. What type of thermodynamic cycle of events is
known as the Brayton cycle?
4. Bernoulli’s principle describes the relationship
existing between velocity and pressure of a
fluid moving through a duct. Is this relationship
direct or inverse?
 Review Questions
5.Is thrust, calculated when an aircraft is in flight,
referred to as gross thrust or net thrust?
6.Which one is greater among gross thrust and net
thrust?
7.Does a choked nozzle add additional supersonic
velocity or additional thrust?
8.What are the three most important factors that
will affect the thrust of a gas turbine engine
during operation?
Factors affecting GTE operation
• Atmospheric air density
• Atmospheric air temperature
• Engine air speed
• Engine RPM
• Type of fuel being used
Factors affecting GTE operation
Factors affecting GTE operation
Factors affecting GTE operation
Factors affecting GTE operation
Factors affecting GTE operation
Factors affecting GTE operation
 SUMMARY OF MODULE-6
• History of jet engine development
• Jet engine fundamentals
– Physics laws
– Propulsion & thrust calculations
– Jet engine aerodynamics
– Factors affecting engine thrust