DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

Experiment No.

Aim: Study of Gas Turbines & Jet Propulsion System

Gas Turbines

Introduction

A Gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has
an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber
in between. The basic operation of the gas turbine is similar to that of the steam power plant
except that air is used instead of water. Fresh atmospheric air flows through a compressor that
brings it to higher pressure. Energy is then added by spraying fuel into the air and igniting it
so the combustion generates a high temperature flow. This high-temperature high-pressure gas
enters a turbine, where it expands down to the exhaust pressure, producing a shaft work output
in the process. The turbine shaft work is used to drive the compressor and other devices such
as an electric generator that may be coupled to the shaft. The energy that is not used for shaft
work comes out in the exhaust gases, so these have either a high temperature or a high
velocity. The purpose of the gas turbine determines the design so that the most desirable
energy form is maximized. Gas turbines are used to power aircraft, trains, ships, electrical
generators, or even tanks.

Operation/Working:
In an ideal gas turbine, gases undergo three thermodynamic processes:
an isentropic compression, an isobaric (constant pressure) combustion and an isentropic
expansion. Together, these make up the Brayton cycle.
In a practical gas turbine, mechanical energy is irreversibly transformed into heat when gases are
compressed (in either a centrifugal or axial compressor), due to internal friction and turbulence.
Passage through the combustion chamber, where heat is added and the specific volume of the
gases increases is accompanied by a slight loss in pressure. During expansion amidst the stator
and rotor blades of the turbine, irreversible energy transformation once again occurs.

Methods for improving thermal efficiency of Gas Turbine

a. Inter-cooling with Line Diagram and TS diagram.
b. Reheating with Line Diagram and TS diagram.
c. Regeneration with Line Diagram and TS diagram
Jet Propulsion
 Jet propulsion is the driving forward of a body by means of a jet of gas or
fluid. The idea dates back to the 1st century AD when Hero of Alexandria built an engine called
an aeolipile. He mounted a hollow metal globe with projecting tubes between two pipes so it
could spin. Steam entered the globe through the pipes. As it escaped through the bent tubes, the
jets of steam spun the globe

Principle
There are many everyday examples of jet propulsion. A blown-up toy balloon
with its neck closed shows no tendency to move because the air inside is pressing equally in all
directions. If the neck is opened suddenly, the balloon shoots away. The escaping air relieves
pressure at the neck, and there is a reaction from the air opposite the neck. It is not the air rushing
out of the neck and pushing against the outside air, however, that drives the balloon ahead. It is
the air pushing against the inside front wall of the balloon that propels it forward. In fact, a jet
would operate more efficiently in a vacuum because there would be no air to obstruct the
escaping gases. The recoil of a rifle also illustrates action and reaction. Expanding gases propel
the bullet out of the barrel at high velocity. The rifle in response to the force of the gases "kicks
back." Another example of jet action is the garden hose whose nozzle jumps back when the
water is suddenly turned on full force.

Types

Turboprop engines:
In turboprop engines a conventional aircraft propeller is usually mounted in
front of the jet engine and in one type of engine is driven by a second, or free, turbine. This is
located behind the turbine that is driving the compressor. In other designs the power is obtained
by additional stages on the main turbine. Since turbine speeds are much higher than propeller
speed, a reduction gear is required between the turbine and the propeller. About 90 percent of the
energy in the hot gases is absorbed in the turbine, and only about 10 percent remains to increase
the speed of the exhaust jet. Accordingly, only a very small portion of the overall thrust is
produced by the jet; most of it comes from the propeller.

Ramjet engines:
 The air into which an engine rushes at high flight speeds is partially compressed
by the so-called ram effect. If the speed is high enough, this compression can be sufficient to
operate an engine with neither a compressor nor a turbine. A ramjet has been called a flying
stovepipe because it is open at both ends and has only fuel nozzles in the middle. A straight
stovepipe, however, would not work; a ramjet must have a properly shaped inlet diffuser that
produces low-velocity, high-pressure air at the combustion section, and it must also have a
properly shaped exhaust nozzle to increase the speed of flow. Ramjets can operate at speeds
above 200 miles (320 kilometers) per hour, but they become practical only at very high speeds,
which must be greater than that of sound. Rockets or other similar devices are needed to produce
the initial speed at which a ramjet can begin to operate.

Pulse-jet engine:
A pulse-jet is similar to a ramjet except that a series of spring-loaded, shutter-
type valves is located ahead of the combustion section. In a pulse-jet the combustion is
intermittent or pulsing rather than continuous as in a ramjet. Air is admitted through the valves,
and combustion begins. This increases the pressure and closes the valves, preventing backflow
through the inlet. As the gases expand through the rear nozzle to produce thrust, the pressure in
the combustion section drops to the point where the valves open again to admit fresh air. This
cycle is then repeated. The most widely known pulse-jet was the German V-1 missile, or "buzz
bomb," which was used near the end of World War II and which fired at a frequency of about 40
cycles per second. Pulse-jets are inefficient, noisy, and subject to severe vibration. Their use is
now limited to low-cost pilotless vehicles.
Non air-breathing, or Rocket, engines:
Rocket engines carry both fuel and oxidizer on
board, and they are therefore not dependent on the surrounding atmosphere for the needed supply
of oxygen. Accordingly, they provide the primary means of propulsion in outer space. Rockets
are usually classified by the type of fuel burned; solid-propellant rockets carry a solid mixture of
fuel and oxidizer. This mixture is similar to gunpowder and burns completely after ignition. The
burning generates a large volume of high-pressure gas in the combustion section. This gas is then
expanded into a high-velocity jet as it leaves the exhaust nozzle. The burning rate is controlled
by shaping the solid fuel in such a fashion that the combustion gases are released at a nearly
uniform rate. The control of the thrust, however, is limited, making solid-propellant rockets only
suitable for the first, or takeoff, stage of space rockets

Result: Gas turbine and jet propulsion system have been studied
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