Gas Turbine Engine: Types, Operation, and Maintenance

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Introduction
The combustion chamber entails the functions of combustion, compression, intake and exhaust.
There is sections separated in a gas turbine engine and each of them has different functions
performed smoothly without interruption. A gas turbine engine normally consists of the
following components which include; exhaust section, a compressor section, exhaust section,
accessory section, and combustion section and air inlet. The components in gas turbine engine
are normally the same though sometimes they differ due to a slight difference in every
manufacturer terminology. The major features which are most affected during the construction of
gas turbine engine are the compressors.
Types of the gas turbine engine
A gas turbine engine is the most widely used propulsion systems in the aviation industry. They
are in various types and each of them has their own requirements for maintenance and the gas
turbine engine include turboprop, turbofan and afterburning turbojet.
1. Turbojet
The mentioned below gas turbine engine consist of four sections which are the turbine segment,
combustion chamber, exhaust and compressor. The term turbojet is used in describing any gas
turbine used in aircraft. There are certain problems experienced when using this type of engine
for example noise and high consumption of fuel therefore, makes its use very limited. The
development of the engine mentioned above took place before the Second World War by
England and German.
Operation
Here, the passage of air is allowed into the combustion chamber at a higher rate and this is the
region where both igniter and the fuel inlet are located. (Kay, 2012, p. 288). This particular
engine uses a fan to suck air and the pressure of air is raised by the compressor. The fuel is used
in spraying the compressed air and the mixture is lightening by an electric spark. As the jets of
gas shoot backwards, the aircraft and the engine are thrust forward.
Fig 1: Showing turbojet engine (Boyce, 2017, p. 67)

2. Turboprop
The propellers are driven by this engine through the use of a reduction gear which assists in the
provision of finest propeller operation at lesser rpm speeds. This translates to greater fuel
efficiency, as well as, a performance at slower airspeed, making this type of engine appropriate
engine for small, commuter aircraft, cargo planes and agricultural use. The turboprop is efficient
for planes with less speed since inefficiency of the propellers is seen as the speed of aircraft
increases.
Operation
The turboprop engine in gas turbine engine turns a propeller through a speed of a gearbox and it
is most effective in a range of 300 to 400 mph. In a turboprop, the propulsion is achieved by a
combination of an external propeller and the thrust obtained by the exit of the exhaust gases from
the turbine. This engine works by allowing air into the intake and then the compressor
compressed the air. In the combustor, fuel is added into the compressed air and expansion of hot
combustion gases takes place whereby, some of the power produced is used in driving the
compressor while the rest is transmitted to the propeller via the reduction gear (Bathie, 2017, p.
43).
Fig 2: Showing turboprop engine (Ganguli, 2012, p. 43)
3. Turbofan
The engine mentioned above is a turbine engine that diverts a secondary flow of air around the
combustion chamber which creates extra thrust. The turbofan is mostly preferred by many
airlines since it has better fuel consumption with little noise produced. The engine produces 80
per cent of the thrust from the engine. The turbofan engine can be both low or high bypass and
the bypass ratio simply relies on the quantity of engine which is passing around the core of the
engine. The engine mentioned above consists of more than one shaft, maybe two-shaft engines.
This means that it has a double compressor and double turbine to drive it. A two-spool is found
in the two shafted engines and they include the shaft, compressor and a turbine used for driving