Can a jet engine get flooded?

Question

If you're flying along in a storm, would the engine stall if the engine sucked in too much water and flood if the rain was heavy enough?

Answer 1

By jove, with the amount of energy being generated within the casing I doubt if this would be possible.

Large industrial turbines are often "water washed" as a means of cleaning the blades and this does not disrupt the flame patterns in any way. I imagine aviation engines would cope even better.

I think if there was heavy rain or snow a pilot would possibly delay take off though- why risk it?

Answer 2

Jet engines are tested for just this type of occurence before being put into service, and it is very unlikely that a storm could produce enough water to cause a flameout.
However a waterlogged runway is another matter and in this instance the pilot can elect to keep the igniter system switched on, so if an engine ingests a near solid sheet of water from the nose gear and flames out, it will immediately relight again.
just ingesting normal rainwater will actually increase the efficiency of the engine.

Answer 3

with all the stages of rotors in a jet engine. it would atomize the water before it got to the combustion chambers. just to give you a lil info some of the old air force jet engines on the old B-52 was water injection. to give it more thrust so it could take off with heavy bomb loads. the only model of the 52 that wasnt water injection was the B-52 H. its engine had enough thrust so water injection was scrapped.


but I would guess you could flood one out with water. but it would have to be alot of water and doubt any storm could produce that shear amount of water fall.

Answer 4

it is possible in theory but the likelyhood of enough water being ingested at a given time to block the oxygen supply and ignitor would happen in a ditching scenario.
Dust is another matter, flying through volcanic ash or sand storms can disrupt and flame out an engine

Answer 5

No Gareth, unless its flying too low and put the engine's in the sea, but by that time your engine's getting water logged is the least of your problems !!

Answer 6

Its not likely this would happen. Jets fly in storms all the time.
Unless u got bad fuel somewhere.

Answer 7

not really, when fuel builds up in the plenum it causes what is called a Hot Start, when that happens a flame shoots out the exhaust. the smallest one i have ever seen shot about 50 to 70 feet. this does not happen allot but it does happen. it is really cool to see.

Answer 8

YES IT CAN IT IS A ENGINE ANT IT.