Jet engine performance: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:50, 19 November 2023

Revision as of 11:03, 19 November 2023

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=== Fan efficiency ===

Fan blades on modern engines have a wide [[Chord (aircraft)|chord]] which replaced conventional narrow chord blades which needed snubbers, or shrouds, to prevent them vibrating to an unacceptable degree. Increasing the length of the chord by an amount which made the blade stiff enough to not require snubbers also made the blade more resistant to damage caused by bird, hail and ice ingestion,<ref>https://www{{Cite journal |last=Amoo |first=Leye M.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376042112000838," |date=2013 |title=On Thethe Designdesign Andand Structuralstructural Analysisanalysis Ofof Jetjet Engineengine Fanfan Bladeblade Structures",structures Amoo|journal=Progress in Aerospace Sciences |volume=60 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1016/j.paerosci.2012.08.002}}</ref> and brought several unrelated benefits of improved efficiency, surge margin and noise reductions.<ref>https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/GT/proceedings/GT1988/79191/V002T02A017/236878,"Developing The Rolls-Royce Tay", Wilson, 88-GT-302</ref> There is also a greater axial distance for centrifuging debris away from the compressor inlet to prevent erosion of the airfoil surfaces which lowers compressor efficiency.

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The effects of heat transfer and friction in a combustor, both engine and afterburner, cause a loss of stagnation pressure and an increase in entropy. The loss in pressure is shown on a T~s diagram where it can be seen to reduce the area of the work part of the diagram. The pressure loss through a combustor has two contributions. One due to bringing the air from the compressor into the combustion area including through all the cooling holes (friction pressure loss), that is with air flowing but no combustion taking place. The addition of heat to the flowing gas adds another type of pressure loss (momentum pressure loss).

In addition to stagnation pressure loss the other measure of combustion performance is incomplete combustion. Combustion efficiency had always been close to 100 % at high thrust levels meaning only small amounts of HC and CO are present, but big improvements had to be made near idle operation. In the 1990's reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) became the focus due to its contribution to smog and acid rain for example. Combustor technology for reducing NOx is the Rich burn, Quick mix, Lean burn (RQL)<ref>https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271367881_The_Pratt_Whitney_TALON_X_Low_Emissions_Combustor_Revolutionary_Results_with_Evolutionary_Technology</ref> introduced by Pratt & Whitney with the TALON (Technology for Advanced Low NOx) PW4098 combustor.<ref>https:/{{Cite journal |last=Liu |first=Yize |last2=Sun |first2=Xiaoxiao |last3=Sethi |first3=Vishal |last4=Nalianda |first4=Devaiah |last5=Li |first5=Yi-Guang |last6=Wang |first6=Lu |date=2017 |title=Review of modern low emissions combustion technologies for aero gas turbine engines |journal=Progress in Aerospace Sciences |volume=94 |page=15 |pages=12–45 |doi=10.1016/wwwj.sciencedirectpaerosci.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037604211630118X, p2017. 1508.001}}</ref> RQL technology is also used in the Rolls-Royce Phase 5 Trent 1000 combustor and the General Electric LEC (Low Emissions Combustor).<ref>"Engine Technology Development to Address Local Air Quality Concerns", Moran, ICAO Colloquium on Aviation Emissions with Exhibition, 14-16 May 2007</ref>

Engine combustor configurations are reverse-flow separate, straight-through separate, can-annular (all 3 historic because the annular flow chamber gives more area and more even flow to the turbine), and modern annular and reverse-flow annular. Fuel preparation for combustion is either done by converting it into small drops (atomization) or heating it with air in tubes immersed in flame (vaporization).