How does a jet engine work in the rain?

Question

If an aircraft is flying through cloud or rain it must be sucking in hundreds of litres of water. How does the engine keep running?

Answer 1

The engine is designed for it. Also large fan engines bypass most of the water around the engine core (where the fuel burns). The igniters are usually turned on so the engine doesn't flame-out (they are normally off since the flame is self sustaining).

However rain DOES NOT increase the performance of the engine like water injection does.

When rain goes into the engine it turns into water vapor after the first few compressor stages, but it displaces the air. Vapor cannot sustain combustion so the engine loses power and water vapor is less dense than air so mass airflow goes down and thrust is lost.

For water injection, the water is injected under pressure into the air that has already entered the engine, so it adds the to mass airflow. To compensate for the temperature loss, alcohol is added too.

Answer 2

A organic jet is greater susceptible to a flameout whilst water gets interior the engine as each thing it fairly is obtainable interior the front is going in the process the engine. slightly water will make fairly lots any engine run slightly greater advantageous, and water is injected into some jet engines to develop overall performance. extreme bypass turbofan engines artwork greater advantageous interior the rain as basically a small proportion of it passes in the process the engine. yet, like quite a few different issues, too lots isn't a stable undertaking. Ask the folk in Nashville.

Answer 3

The heat in a jet engine is so intense, that even great amount of rainwater is instanty vaporized and turned to steam. And there really isn't that much water in a given volume of rain or cloud. It is still mostly air. The hundreds of liters or water you are imagining do not enter the intake at one moment.

In fact, this steam, as it is ejected out the back may actually boost the performance of the engine. It's not the heat of the burning fuel that powers the jet. It is the speed of the exhaust.

Answer 4

Water ingestion is considered in the design. They test for how much water ingestion an engine will endure, etc. Here is the GE testing the mills for the 777.
http://www.geae.com/education/engines101/popups/mov_wateringestion.html

They also use water to clean the compressor periodically.

The water ingestion does effect the performance of the engine. Metered amounts like in the B-52 and the Harrier can add some density and keep the engine cool. But larger am mounts of water degrade the power (less oxygen) overly cool the engine and require adjustments in the fuel mixture. When too much water is ingested the engine will flame-out (and obviously loose all power). Rain is pretty mild and the engine intake angle is designed to move heavy floating particles to the outsides and away from the combustion area.

Answer 5

It works on fuel, not on air, it does let elements flow around, so turbines and jet won´t clog together, if water gets in the engine the controls might feel urged to act on more power or eventually interrupt the turbine from working, perhaps no more than 5 minutes as to avoid alarming confortable passengers. After that time even if it is pouring the pilot is not turning the turbine off again.
The engine works in the rain same as a lawn mower is expected to work on grass and water.

Answer 6

Doesn't matter. The force is so terrific it vaporizes it quickly as though going through smoke. That's why some aircraft have a grate over the intake nose. It'll do that to a person stupid enough to walk up close to one while on the tarmac.

Answer 7

because water is generally a soft, mouldable liquid (and non combustable) so it wont damage the compressor blades. that and the fact that a jet engine runs extremely hot so any injested water almost instantaniously evaporates

Answer 8

It keeps running because its designed to handle that amound of water.

Jet engine testing stations have massive water pumps to simulate flying through tropical storms. They are designed to withstand many times more than mother nature can throw at them.

Answer 9

The fans of a jet engine are in the middle wear the air and rain gos & the engine is packed around the side.That make it rowetate

Answer 10

I have been told that a jet engine ingesting rainwater actually instead of having the effect you would expect helps the fuel vapourise aids efficient burning of the fuel and therefore increases the efficiency of the engine