what makes a turbine engine run?

Question

does it work by itself or does another motor makes it run? what power source is used to make the turbine rotate and spin?

Answer 1

A turbine engine harnesses expanding gases resulting from fuel combustion, just like a piston engine. Suck, squeeze, bang, blow. The air is compressed, fuel is added, it combusts, and the expanding air is directed through a round "tunnel" with turbine or fan wheels that rotate at very high RPM, driving a shaft, that in turn powers the compressor wheels but also provides the power output in a turboshaft engine. A turbine engine is just a fancy furnace with the heat used to spin fan wheels.

Of course it needs an electric starter motor, or alternatively compressed air from an external compressor (commonly called an auxiliary power unit or APU), to get it running. If external compressed air is used, the flow of the compressed air will spin the engine compressor blades. Once there is sufficient air flow through the engine during the start sequence, fuel is added, igniters (spark plugs) ignite the fuel with an electric spark, and then the engine will accelerate to its normal operating RPM and sustain that without the external electric power or compressed air.

The compressor produces 2 -3 x more air than is needed for combustion, as the excess air is required for cooling - a turbine engine is internally air cooled. If the compressor were to fail (almost impossible without failure of the power turbine) the engine would continue to operate, but the excessive heat in the power turbine would cause an expensive "Over temp" situation that could lead to a complete destruction of the engine if the fuel were not shut off.

The benefits of a turbine engine are reliability, light weight, simple (but expensive) maintenance, and high horsepower.

Answer 2

Let me explain how large aircraft start the engines, as there a few confused people here, especially the guy in the previous post.

Jetliners, even smaller ones like the Gulfstreams, have an APU (auxiliary power unit). They are usually located in the tail, and you can see the exhaust port in the rear tip of the fuselage. This is basically a small turbine that has a generator on it, and it supplies electrical power to the airplane when the plane is disconnected from the cable at the gate.

After the aircraft is backed up, part of the compressed gas (bleed air) from the APU is directed by valves to an air powered starter motor on the main engines to get them spinning. Once up and running, the generators on the main engines power the aircraft.

If you watch while you are leaving the airport, the lights will flicker and switch on and off before the plane leaves the gate, and after the engines are fired up.

The APU bleed air also powers the A/C compressor before the engines do, but since it's not very powerful, the air isn't as cold as when the engines are running. Kind of luck when your car is sitting still at idle versus when it's on the freeway.

Answer 3

The working of a turbine engine is simple compared to that of an IC reciprocating engine . Basically it involves the pulling in and compressing of air to the engine in relatively large quantities and then expanding this air and using it to drive a power turbine. The power turbine is connected by a common shaft to the compressor turbine . About 10% of the power generated is used to turn the compressor turbine. The compressor turbine pulls air into the engine and compresses it. Compression is achieved due to the shape of the turbine blade which tends to push air out from the centre towards the edges. This air then enters a combustion chamber where fuel is added and ignited ,resulting in the rapid expansion of the gases , these are used to drive the power turbine.

Answer 4

It is a glorified windmill.

First a starter motor rotates the engine to start airflow movement with the compressor. Then fuel is added and ignited. The expanding gases go through the turbines to sustain the engine rotation. The turbines are connected to the compressor that draws air in and compresses it for fuel combustion.

The remaining gas pressure after the turbine (about 30%) can then be used for thrust in a jet engine or to run a power turbine (for a turboprop, turbofan, turboshaft).

Answer 5

Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow, these are fundamentals of turbine engine mechanics. On an Apache there is a smaller turbine engine known as the APU, or axillary power unit that is hydraulically started. This builds pneumatic pressure to start the two other engines (701c). Once the engine has build enough pressure from the APU you can start the engines one at a time. Once the engines start sequence is indicated it sucks in ambient air and compresses it mixed with high grade diesel fuel to bang or explode forcing the exhaust to blow out the back which turns the turbines inside the engine.

Answer 6

Engines are all basically the same, in that they use chemical energy (fuel) to produce mechanical energy (thrust/power). Reciprocating engines operate in a "closed" cycle, that is, the fuel and air are compressed, burned and expanded in a closed cylinder. The expansion of the gasses moves the piston to create the work.

Turbine engines also compress air, burn it and use the expansion to do work...they just do it in an open (continuous) cycle. The expanding gasses turn one or more turbine stages to power the compressor and keep the cycle going. Work is done either by using the exhaust gasses to generate reaction thrust (turbojet) or drive a propeller/fan (turboprop/turbofan).

A small electric motor turns the compressor to get the cycle started. Once the air starts the turbine blades moving, fuel is introduced and ignited using electrical ignitors (similar to spark plugs in your car). From that point on, the engine is self-sustaining as long as there is fuel and air available.

Answer 7

I can give you a brief overview how a PT6 engine works, its a turboprop, which means a gas turbine engine which drives a shaft that turns the propeller. Its a very popular engine produced by Pratt & Whitney. On start up the starter will turn the compressor assembly and get the whole assembly rotating, once it rotates fast enough (indicated by Ng speed) the igniters located inside the comustor chamber turns on and comubstion begins, once combustion is able to sustain itself, the starter and ingition is turned off, now the gases leaving the combustion chamber will hit the "free turbines" which is not connected to the compressor, start spinning it will turn the shaft connected to the propshaft therby completing the cycle. 24 volt power source are used to turn on the starter and begin the ingition cycle. For shut down, all is needed to do is shut off the fuel supply to the comustion chamber. This concept also applies to turbo fans, only the fan is inside the engine nacelle. A PT6 can produce anywhere from 380 shaft horsepower to 1289 shaft horsepower.

Answer 8

Well you better go catch it!!! There is a starter motor that gets it spinning to the point where the air is compressed enough for adequate combustion so it runs on it's own.

Answer 9

like any engine..it needs a source to start..lets say a 747...there are electric generaters that spin the turbine...when enogh compression is held it will become self sustaining.

Answer 10

Ask it on Google to see all ellements. BUT the short answer is:
A shaft that conected to "Combastion Chamber" rus compersor fans and same shaft rotate the turbine