How does a turbine engine work?
Superb knowledge of a turbine engine
In order to be a good technician on commercial aircraft, you need to know about turbine engines. If you don’t know the functions of the engine or powerplant as it is called in industry, you will not be able to work as a technician in this field. Turbines increase the velocity of air flowing through them and thus produce thrust. Typically, a turbine engine consist of the following parts:
- Air inlet
- Combustion chambers
- Turbine section
- Compressor
- Exhaust
Turbine engines are used in aircraft because of their great performance. As the vibration is low, turbine engines are reliable and easy to operate. Thus, they increase the aircraft performance.
Turbine engines work in different ways depending on their types. The types also depend on the compressors systems that they use. However, basically turbine engines are of four kinds:
- Turbojet
- Turbofan
- Turboprop
- Turbo shaft
Now, we will discuss them in brief to know their functions.
Turbojet:
Compressor, combustion chamber, turbine section and exhaust are the parts of a Turbojet. The compressor is used to pass the inlet air to the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber consists of the fuel inlet and igniter. A turbine is driven by the expanding air. The turbine is connected by a shaft that has a connection with the compressor. Thrust is provided by the accelerated exhaust gases. Thus power is produced to sustain engine operation.
Turboprop:
This form of turbine engine drives a propeller with the help of a reduction gear. A reduction gear is used in the turboprop engine in order to get the optimum propeller performance at a slower speed than the operating rpm of the engine. Like the turbojet, a power turbine is driven by exhausted gas. The turbine is connected by a shaft. Also, the reduction gear is driven by the shaft.
Turbofan:
It is a combination of the best recommended features of the turbojet and turboprop.
- Turbofan engines create additional thrust by passing a secondary airflow. Bypass air generates enhanced thrust.
- Bypass air in the turbofan cools the engine and helps to suppress the noise. Thus fuel consumption is generally low in the turbofan.
Turbo shaft:
Turbo shaft is a kind of jet engine. Here the power is delivered to the shaft that doesn’t drive a propeller. Also a major part of the energy produced by the gases is utilized to drive a turbine. Because of the great properties of turbo shaft engines, they are used in many helicopters. They are also used as the auxiliary power source for aircraft.
If you want to work on aircraft, you need to know about turbine engines. The above four types of engine functions should be taken seriously. As modern helicopters and aircraft are using these engines, it is worth knowing the process of how they work. You can learn about these at a FAA training school – they can all be found listed at: https://amtjobopenings.com/part-147-schools/ If you fail to understand the workings of turbines, you will not be a successful technician. As aircraft technicians are directly related to repairing and replacing many parts of the engines, it is your prime duty to be an expert. Peoples lives depend on it!
