Gas turbines convert gas energy into kinetic energy to power machinery. They have a superior power-to-weight ratio compared to reciprocating engines, but are more expensive. A gas turbine engine consists of a compressor, combustion area, and turbine. In airplanes, the turbine shaft rotates the compressor fan to provide thrust.
A gas turbine is a rotary combustion engine that converts the potential energy in gas, plus the kinetic energy of moving air, into a massive amount of energy that turns an output shaft, doing actual work. There are many types of turbine engines, some of which are very familiar to most people, and some of which may be surprising. For example, a windmill is a classic and very simple turbine, and steam engines are also turbine engines. On the other hand, the main battle tank of the US Army, the M1A1 Abrams, is also powered by a gas turbine engine.
Perhaps the use of the gas turbine engine that most people are familiar with is jet propulsion, the gas turbine engine. This huge engine illustrates one of the great advantages of the gas turbine engine: it has a power-to-weight ratio that is far superior to the other main engine type available: the reciprocating engine, such as a diesel engine, which harnesses alternative energy from pistons. multiple. On the other hand, gas turbine engines are much more expensive to build and operate than reciprocating engines of comparable size, making their use prohibitive for use in average consumer applications such as automobiles.
A gas turbine engine consists of three main components, all built around a central axis: a compressor, a combustion area, and the turbine itself, all enclosed in order to build up pressure. Air is drawn into the compressor by fan blades on the shaft and forced under pressure into the combustion area. The fuel, most commonly kerosene, propane, or natural gas, is injected under pressure into the combustion chamber and ignites, significantly increasing the temperature, which in turn increases the pressure in the combustion chamber. This pressurized gas is forced back over multiple fins on the turbine shaft, causing it to spin and transmit power to tank wheels or helicopter rotors. Once it passes over the turbine blades, the spent gas is exhausted, although some gas turbine engines have provisions to capture and reuse some of the heat energy in the exhaust gas.
An airplane gas turbine engine works a little differently. While the construction remains basically identical, the turbine shaft only exists within the engine, because there is no external destination to which to transmit the power generated by the turbine. Instead, the main job of the turbine shaft is to rotate the compressor fan. The work of the engine is done by the force of heated, pressurized gas coming out of the rear of the engine, providing thrust, which forces the engine casing forward along with the aircraft to which it is attached.
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