Gas turbine engines use pressurized gas to turn a turbine and compressor, with fuel being ignited to increase temperature and pressure. The Norwegian engineer Aegidius Elling patented the gas turbine in 1884. The main parts are the compressor, combustion area, and turbine, with a shaft connecting the compressor and turbine. Gas turbine engines have advantages over automobile engines, including a better power to weight ratio and smaller size. They are used in aircraft, boats, and some tanks.
A gas turbine engine uses pressurized gas to turn a turbine and a compressor. Inside the engine, the fuel is ignited to increase the temperature and pressure of the gas. This causes the gas to act on the turbine at a higher speed. Gas turbine engines are used to power many aircraft and boats and have recently been used in some main battle tanks.
A turbine uses the energy of a flowing fluid to rotate a wheel. The turbine concept has been around for many years; windmills and water wheels are simple examples. Moving air passes over the inclined blades of a windmill, causing the wheel to turn. Turbines can also be used with steam, as in the case of many power plants. The turbine in a gas turbine engine, however, uses highly pressurized air to turn.
Norwegian engineer Aegidius Elling obtained a patent for a gas turbine in 1884. His first model of a turbine that produced more power than it consumed was presented in 1903. Elling’s design locked a rotary air compressor to the turbine, a feature widely used today. He believed that if more heat resistant materials could be found, the gas turbine engine could be used to power aircraft.
The main parts of a gas turbine engine are the compressor, the combustion area, and the turbine. Air enters the compressor at normal pressure and is then compressed. In the combustion area, some type of fuel is burned to increase the temperature and energy content of the air. High-temperature, high-pressure gas is forced out of the engine, rotating the turbine as it exits. A solid shaft connects the compressor and the turbine; Turbine rotation is used to spin the compressor, making the overall engine more efficient.
The shaft connecting the compressor to the turbine may or may not be used to power additional devices. In a jet engine, the method of obtaining thrust is to expel exhaust gases at a high speed, which causes the plane to be pushed forward. On non-push powered vehicles, the rotating shaft can be used to perform mechanical work. The United States Army’s M1 Abrams tank uses a gas turbine engine for this purpose. In this case, the gas flow is used to rotate a shaft that feeds the tank treads.
A gas turbine engine has several advantages over the type of engine found in most automobiles. First of all, it has a better power to weight ratio. Gas turbine engines are also smaller than their automobile counterparts for a given amount of power. These reasons explain why many helicopters and airplanes use this type of engine.
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