Ch. 29 The Turbine Engine Flashcards
Turbine engines are either _____ or _____ types.
Free-turbine or fixed shaft
Turbine engine pros (8 total)
- Smoother (less noticeable vibration)
- Quieter
- Better power / weight ratio
- More reliable
- Overhauled at greater intervals (hours)
- Easier to start in the cold
- Require less maintenance between overhauls
- Consume less engine oil
Turbine engine cons (4 total)
- More expensive to purchase & overhaul
- Thirstier (consume more fuel)
- Less tolerant of abuse
- More surprising when they fail (being quieter, they give less warning of failure)
The gas turbine is made up of what 4 parts?
- Compressor
- Combustion chamber
- Turbine
- Accessory gearbox assembly
What is a compressor & what are the 2 basic types?
The compressor draws filtered air into the plenum chamber & compresses it.
Axial & centrifugal are the 2 types.
Plenum chambers hold air at a pressure slightly higher than that of the surrounding air. Plenum chambers stabilize the pressure of air before it enters the compressor
Air moves from the compressor to the _____, where fuel is added & burned.
Combustion chamber
Half of the air that enters an engine compressor is used for combustion and the other half is used for _____.
Cooling the metal around the hot flame
Temperatures at the turbines are around 700-900 degrees C
The very hot, fast moving air passes through the _____ and then through the _____
Compressor turbine; power turbine
If the airflow through the compressor is disturbed, a condition called _____, may take effect.
Compressor stall (aka surge)
The pressure at the compressor is reduced from lack of incoming air & the combustion pressure may cause reverse flow into the compressor output.
What’s the difference between a free turbine or fixed turbine engine?
Free: the 1st & 2nd stage of turbines are not mechanically connected to each other, only a gas path
Fixed: the 1st & 2nd stage of turbines are mechanically coupled to each other; the compressor & output shaft are connected
What are the functions of the turbines within a two-stage turbine engine?
The first one, or compressor turbine, drives the compressor section & referred to as gas producer (seen as N1 or NG).
The second one, or power turbine, drives the other components attached to the accessory gearbox (seen as N2 or NP).
What is TOT?
Turbine outlet temperature
The temperature of gas that’s expelled from the exhaust.
Depending on the manufacturer, TOT may be referred as ITT (inter-turbine temperature), exhaust gas temperature (EGT), measured gas temperature (MGT), T4, or T5.
What is a turbine engine cycle?
The number of times the engine has been started & used at takeoff power. Taking metal from a cool rest & heating it to 700 degrees C.
Jet engines have longer lives than helicopter engines because they cruise at high altitudes at one power setting vs helicopter engines that have huge changes in power requirements.
Why do transient limits of temperature exist?
Because it is difficult to accurately measure temperatures deep within an engine & how that heat is affecting the metal.
Particularly for startup & sometimes during operation: metal can’t stand high temperatures for prolonged periods, & the short period allowed for a high temperature during starting means this high temperature won’t exist long enough to affect the turbine blades.
The power available from a turbine engine depends upon _____ & _____.
Pressure altitude & temperature