A Report on code development for

Jet Engine, Turbofan Engine, and Ramjet Engine

Person 1 Person 2
Person 3 Person 4

Department of Aerospace Engineering

University of King Abdul Aziz

Kingdom of Saudia Arabia 21589

This process is called a Brayton cycle and is what

drives the engine. The hot gases that pass through the
Abstract turbine are then expelled out the back of the engine
This research discusses three jet engine versions: through a nozzle, accelerating the gases and
afterburning turbojet, turbofan, and Ramjet. The producing thrust. A schematic of the jet engine and
authors have developed MATLAB code that its T-s diagram is shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 below.
calculates the important output parameters like
Specific thrust, specific fuel consumption, and
thermal and propulsive efficiency. Furthermore, the
impact of varying pressure ratios and inlet Mach
number was studied in the case of jet engines. For the
turbofan engine, the value of the bypass and
compressor pressure ratios was varied to assess its
impact on the critical parameters. At last, for the
Figure 1 Schematic of Jet engine with numbering[1]
ramjet engine, only the effect of increasing flight
Mach number was studied

I. INTRODUCTION
A jet engine is a reaction engine that propels an
aircraft forward by continuously expulsing hot gases
through a nozzle. Jet engines are commonly used in
commercial and military aircraft, as well as in
rockets, missiles, and some types of ships. Air is
drawn into the engine by the compressor, which
compresses the air and feeds it into the combustion Figure 2 T-s diagram of a jet engine[1]
chamber. Fuel is then sprayed into the combustion
chamber, where it is ignited, causing a rapid increase An afterburner is often added downstream of the
in temperature and pressure. The hot gases created by turbine to inject additional fuel and increase the
the combustion process then flow through the turbine, temperature and velocity of the exhaust gases. Due to
which is connected to the compressor by a shaft. As higher jet velocities, extra thrust is generated. These
the hot gases flow through the turbine, they spin the engines, such as fighter jets, are commonly used in
turbine blades, which rotate the compressor blades. military aircraft because they significantly boost
thrust and speed when needed. However, afterburners
also consume a lot of fuel and can be loud, making
them less practical for commercial aircraft. Figure 3
and Fig. 4 show the schematic and T-s diagram for
the after-burning turbojet engine.

Figure 6 T-s diagram of a turbofan engine[1]

Fig.7 shows a ramjet engine, which is a type of air-

breathing jet engine that does not have a compressor
Figure 3 Schematic of Jet engine with afterburner[1] or turbine. Instead, it relies on the aircraft's forward
motion to compress air and feed it into the
combustion chamber. The air is compressed as it
enters the engine and mixed with fuel, which is then
ignited to produce hot gases expelled out the back of
the engine to generate thrust.

Figure 4 T-s diagram of a jet engine with an

afterburner[1]

To generate high thrust with low fuel consumption,

turbofan engines are used. It is similar to a turbojet Figure 7 Schematic of a Ramjet Engine[1]
engine, but with an additional fan at the front that
draws in a large amount of air and propels it around
the engine core. The fan is connected to a low- II. JET ENGINE WITHOUT
pressure compressor, which compresses the air and AFTERBURNER
feeds it into the combustion chamber. The overall In the table given, the parameters that are considered
thrust is a combination of thrust generated by the for performance evaluation are listed
bypass and core parts of the engine. Table 1 Performance parameters for Jet engine without
afterburner

Parameters Real case Ideal case

Altitude h=10 km h=10 km
Po 10 kPa 10 kPa
To 228 K 228 K
𝛾𝑐 1.4 1.4
𝐶𝑝𝑐 1.004 kJ/Kg-K 1.004 kJ/Kg-K
Figure 5 Schematic of Turbofan engine [1] (𝛾𝑐 − 1) 0.287 kJ/Kg-K 0.287 kJ/Kg-K
𝑅𝑐 = 𝐶𝑝𝑐
𝛾𝑐
𝛾𝑡 1.33 1.4
𝐶𝑝𝑡 1.156 kJ/Kg-K 1.004 kJ/Kg-K
 (𝛾𝑡 − 1) 0.2868 kJ/Kg-K 0.287 kJ/Kg-K
𝑅𝑡 = 𝐶𝑝𝑡
𝛾𝑡
𝜋𝑑 0.88 1
𝜋𝑏 0.95 1
𝜂𝑏 0.95 1
hpr 42,000KJ/kg-K 42,000KJ/kg-K
𝑒𝑐 0.9 1
𝑒𝑡 0.82 1
𝛤𝜆 8 8
𝜂𝑚 0.995 1
𝜋𝑛 0.93 1
P 9 = Po 10kPa 10kPa

Comparison of an actual and ideal case of a jet

Figure 9 SFC vs. pressure ratio
engine
Figure 9 shows a variation of specific fuel
consumption with pressure ratio at different flight
Mach numbers. As the pressure ratio increases, the
fuel required for a turbine inlet temperature
decreases. Hence the trend suggests that increasing
the pressure ratio makes the engine fuel-efficient. The
dotted lines below the dark line indicate the lower
SFC value compared to the actual case. Introducing
the component losses increases the fuel flow rate to
achieve the same pressure ratio.

Figure 8 Specific thrust real vs. pressure ratio

Figure 8 shows the variation of specific thrust with

pressure ratio at different flight Mach numbers. The
dotted lines show the ideal engine, and the dark line
represents the actual engine. With an increase in the
pressure ratio, the specific thrust decrease at a higher
Mach number but increases at the static conditions.
When the flight Mach number is zero, increasing the
pressure ratio of the compressor leads to higher inlet
stagnation pressure to the nozzle, which leads to a
higher value of jet velocity and hence higher thrust, Figure 10 Fuel air ratio real vs. ideal jet engine
leading to higher specific thrust. An ideal engine has
a higher specific thrust, and it makes sense because Figure 10 shows the variation of fuel-air ratio with an
the component efficiencies and pressure losses increase in compressor pressure ratio and inlet Mach
decrease the overall thrust and hence specific thrust number. If the inlet Mach number is kept constant,
values. increasing the compressor pressure ratio leads to a
higher compressor exit temperature. Since the turbine
entry temperature is fixed, it implies that the lower
fuel needs to be pumped into the combustor. Hence
the mass flow rate of fuel is reduced, leading to a
lower value of the fuel-air ratio.

In Figure 11, on the other hand if the

compressor pressure ratio is kept constant and the
inlet Mach number is increased, the effect is similar
since the stagnation temperature after the compressor
is increased in this case also. The lower value of the
fuel-air ratio follows from the previous argument.
When ideal and actual cases are compared, it is
intuitive that when component efficiencies are not
unified and the system undergoes pressure losses, the
amount of fuel pumped in to achieve will be lower,
but this is true only for the lower pressure ratio the
Figure 12 SFC real vs. ideal jet engine
compressor. As the pressure ratio increases, it
overcomes the system pressure losses, and the actual Specific fuel consumption depends on specific thrust
compressor gives higher exit temperatures than the and fuel-air ratio; since both decrease with an
ideal case. The higher exit temperatures imply a increase in pressure ratio, SFC also decreases with an
lower value of the fuel-air ratio. A similar effect can increase in pressure ratio, as seen in Figure 12. The
be seen in Fig. 10, at a pressure ratio of 17; the actual lower value of SFC implies a lower fuel flow rate
case shows the lower fuel-air ratio value at higher value for a given value thrust. The value of SFC is
Mo. As already discussed, the effect of increasing the lower in the ideal case and compared to the actual
Mach number is similar to increasing the compressor case. This is understandable since the system
pressure ratio. efficiencies and pressure loss amount to lower thrust
and fuel flow rates. Like the above argument, see
Figure 13, where SFC is plotted concerning Mo at
different pressure ratio values. Here also, the ideal
case is on the lower side; the reason is already
discussed. With the increase in Mo, the SFC values
remain pretty the same as seen by Figure 13. This
brings out that effect of the pressure ratio increase
seems to be more dominating than Mo increase.

Figure 11 Fuel air ratio real vs. ideal jet engine

Figure 13 SFC real vs. ideal jet engine

The subsequent three figures plot the efficiencies for
pressure ratio at different values of Mo. Thermal
efficiency, as we understand it, is the ratio of the rate
of kinetic energy change to the rate of heat input. In
Figure 14 it can be primarily seen that the ideal case
thermal efficiency is higher than the actual case. The
reason is the lower value of fuel flow rate input and
higher jet velocity in the ideal jet engine case
compared to the actual one. Thermal efficiency is
seen to be higher when the inlet Mach number is
high; this is in line with the lower value of fuel-air
ratio at higher flight Mach numbers.

Figure 15 Propulsive efficiency real vs. ideal jet engine

Figure 14 Thermal efficiency real vs. ideal jet engine

Propulsive efficiency is the efficiency with which the

energy contained in the fuel is converted into the Figure 16 Overall efficiency real vs. ideal jet engine
engine's kinetic energy. From Figure 8, it can be seen
that propulsive efficiency first increases and then
remains relatively constant with an increase in III. JET ENGINE WITH AFTERBURNER
compressor pressure ratio. The value is propulsive Table 2 contains the additional afterburner
efficiency is directly proportional to the engine Mo. parameters used to draw the following graphs.
Interestingly the value of propulsive efficiency is
Table 2 Performance parameters for Jet engine with
higher when dealing with the actual case. Since the afterburner
overall efficiency is the product of thermal and
propulsive efficiency, the trend is similar to the above Parameters Afterburner
trends, but the values are lower, as shown in Figure Po 10 kPa
11. To 228 K
𝛾𝑐 1.4
𝐶𝑝𝑐 1.004 kJ/Kg-K
(𝛾𝑐 − 1) 0.287 kJ/Kg-K
𝑅𝑐 = 𝐶𝑝𝑐
𝛾𝑐
𝛾𝑡 1.33
𝐶𝑝𝑡 1.156 kJ/Kg-K
 (𝛾𝑡 − 1) 0.2868 kJ/Kg-K afterburner is switched ON. Higher value comes from
𝑅𝑡 = 𝐶𝑝𝑡
𝛾𝑡 high thus generation due to more energy available for
𝛾𝑎𝑏 1.3 conversion.
𝐶𝑝𝑎𝑏 1.243 kJ/Kg-K
𝜋𝑎𝑏 0.93
𝜋𝑑 0.88
𝜋𝑏 0.95
𝜂𝑏 0.95
hpr 42,000KJ/kg-K
𝑒𝑐 0.9
𝑒𝑡 0.82
𝛤𝜆 8
𝛤𝜆𝑎𝑏 11
𝜂𝑚 0.995
𝜋𝑛 0.98
P9 = Po 10kPa

Figure 18 Fuel air ratio with and without afterburner

Results for the engine with afterburner and its
Figure 18 shows that the fuel air ratio in the after
comparison with the actual case are presented
burner case is significantly higher compared to the
below
actual case. The reason is simply the more fuel being
pumped into the engine to generate more thrust.
Since the mass flow rate of air does not change, the
ratio should be higher after the burner is ON. Specific
fuel consumption shown by Figure 19 indicates that
when the afterburner is switched ON, the SFC is
more than the afterburner OFF case. The increase in
thrust value and fuel flow rate value is the reason for
the above trend. The trend with pressure ratio
increase remains similar to the actual engine case. All
the efficiencies drop down as compared to when the
afterburner is ON. The reasons are higher fuel
pumping and inefficient conversion to KE, as
evidenced by Figures 20, 21, and 22. The trends are
Figure 17 Specific thrust with and without afterburner similar for the reasons discussed in part of the report.

This section compares the parameters when an

afterburner is added to the jet engine. The dotted lines
show the actual engine, and the dark lines show the
engine after the burner is switched on. The purpose of
afterburner is to produce extra thrust by utilizing the
air that was not fully combusted. The higher value
stagnation temperature at the nozzle inlet leads to
more available energy and hence higher jet velocity.

It can be seen from Figure 17 that trend of

Specific thrust with the afterburner ON and OFF is
similar, but the numerical value is more when the
 Figure 21 Propulsive efficiency with and without after
burner

Figure 19 SFC with and without afterburner

Figure 22 Overall efficiency with and without

afterburner

IV. TURBOFAN ENGINE

Table 3 contains the additional afterburner
parameters used to draw the following graphs.

Table 3 Performance parameters for Turbofan engine

Parameters Real case Ideal case

Po 10 kPa 10 kPa
To 228 K 228 K
𝛾𝑐 1.4 1.4
Figure 20 Thermal efficiency with and without 𝐶𝑝𝑐 1.004 kJ/Kg-K 1.004 kJ/Kg-K
afterburner 𝑅𝑐 0.287 kJ/Kg-K 0.287 kJ/Kg-K
(𝛾𝑐 − 1)
= 𝐶𝑝𝑐
𝛾𝑐
𝛾𝑡 1.33 1.4
𝐶𝑝𝑡 1.156 kJ/Kg-K 1.004 kJ/Kg-K
𝑅𝑡 0.2868 kJ/Kg- 0.287 kJ/Kg-K
(𝛾𝑡 − 1) K
= 𝐶𝑝𝑡
𝛾𝑡
𝜋𝑑 0.88 1
𝜋𝑓 1.5 1.5
𝑒𝑓 0.78 1
𝜋𝑏𝑛 0.95 1
𝜋𝑏 0.95 1
𝜂𝑏 0.95 1
hpr 42,000KJ/kg-K 42,000KJ/kg-K
 𝑒𝑐 0.9 1 the mass flow rate. It goes down with an increase in
𝑒𝑡 0.82 1 the bypass ratio.
𝛤𝜆 8 8
𝜂𝑚 0.995 1
𝜋𝑛 0.98 1
P9 = Po 10kPa 10kPa

Comparison of the real and ideal engine

This section compares an unmixed turbofan engine

with and without losses. Apart from pressure ratio
and flight Mach number, a third variable bypass ratio
exists for evaluating the performance. By-passs ratio
as we understand, is the ratio of bypass air to the core
air. In the subsequent graphs, the dotted lines imply
Figure 24 Effect of Mo on the specific thrust of turbofan
the ideal case, and the dark lines show the actual
engine
turbofan engine. Figure 23 and 24 shows the impact
of pressure ratio and flight Mach number at different The effect of increasing Mo is presented in Figure 24;
value of bypass ratio in the ideal and real case. The trend is in line with the trend obtained in the
turbojet engine, where increasing Mo will decrease
the value of specific thrust. The reason for this is
already discussed in part A of the report. The specific
thrust of the ideal case is more when compared to the
actual case owing to higher efficiencies and lower
losses.

Figure 23 Effect of pressure ratio on the specific thrust

of turbofan engine

Specific thrust seemed to have minimal effect at

higher values of bypass ratio when the pressure ratio
is varied because when the bypass ratio is higher,
most of the thrust is generated by the fan as compared
Figure 25 Effect of pressure ratio on fuel-air ratio of
to the core of the engine. The changes done to the
turbofan engine
core parameters will hardly affect the overall thrust
and hence specific thrust. When the bypass ratio is
increased, total air entering the core goes down and
the fan goes up for a given total flow rate. Owing to
this, the thrust produced by the fan will be higher
than the core since specific thrust is not dependent on
 Figure 26 Effect of Mo on fuel-air ratio of turbofan Figure 28 Effect of pressure ratio on thermal energy of
engine a turbofan engine

Since the fuel flow rate is the parameter linked to the

engine's core, it remains invariant to the changes in
the bypass ratio. All the bypass ratio lines collapse
into a single line, as seen in Figure 26.

Figure 29 Effect of pressure ratio on propulsive energy

of a turbofan engine

Figure 27 Effect of Mo on SFC of turbofan engine

Specific fuel consumption depends on specific thrust

and a fuel-air ratio. Since both are decreasing, the
trend can be challenging to predict, depending on
which one dominates. It can be seen from Figure 27
that at a higher bypass ratio, SFC is lower, and this is
an essential characteristic of a turbofan engine. Since
the fuel-air ratio remains independent of alpha, the
lower specific thrust value leads to a lower value of
SFC at a higher bypass ratio.

Figure 30 Effect of pressure ratio on the overall of a

turbofan engine
The next three figures show the effect of the pressure
ratio on efficiencies at various bypass ratios. It can be
seen that propulsive efficiency increases with an
increase in bypass ratio; the kinetic energy change
goes down because the significant contribution is
coming from the fan where the exit velocity is on the
lower end. Similarly, the thermal efficiency decreases
because the conversion of fuel power to kinetic
energy decreases because of lower average exit
velocities. The overall efficiency is the multiplication
of the above two, so the trend is similar.

V. RAMJET ENGINE
Figure 32 Effect of varying Mach number on SFC

In the MATLAB code, for predicting the

performance of the Ramjet engine, the parameters
mentioned in Table 1 were kept the same, and only
the compressor and turbine pressure ratio was set to
1. The Inlet Mach number was varied from 1.5 to 3 in
steps of 0.1. The effect of changing the inlet Mach
number on the critical parameters is shown in Figure
31-35. It can easily be seen from all the figures that
trends remain the same as a jet engine which is
already discussed in part 2. But the critical point is
because of the absence of rotating parts; if we
compare the same values of Po3, the values obtained
in a Ramjet will be more than in a turbojet.
Figure 33 Effect of varying Mach number on FAR

Figure 31 Effect of varying Mach number on Specific

Thrust
Figure 34 Effect of varying Mach number on propulsive
efficiency
 5. APPENDIX
All the equations used are from reference 1. The
image is attached below.

Figure 35 Effect of varying Mach number on thermal

efficiency

VI. CONCLUSION
In the current research, a parametric study on engine
performance was conducted. If efficiencies are
assumed to be 1 and losses are neglected, the
performance is better than the actual case. The engine
performance is better at higher inlet Mach numbers
and higher pressure ratios up to a point after which
performance deteriorates. Increasing the bypass ratio
improves a turbofan engine's propulsive efficiency
and SFC.

VII. REFERENCES
1. Elements of Gas Turbine Propulsion J.D.
Mattingly American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics, 1801 Alexander Bell
Drive, Reston, VA 20191, USA. 2005.
960pp. Illustrated.

2. Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics of

Turbomachinery, Dixon, S. ., and Hall, C. .,
2014, Butterworth-Heinemann.

3. Axial Flow Turbines, Horlock, J. ., 1966,

Butterworths Scientific Publications

4. Turbomachinery Performance Analysis

,Lewis, R., I., 1996, “Elsevier Science &
Technology.