PROPULSION LAB MANUAL

EXPERIMENT NO-1

STUDY OF AN AIRCRAFT PISTON ENGINE

Aim: To study the various components, their function and operating principles of an aircraft
piston engine.

Apparatus: In-line type 3-cylinder reciprocating engine (petrol)

Theory:
Piston engine components and their functions:

Cylinder –A cylindrical vessel in which the

piston makes the reciprocatory motion.

Combustion chamber-The space enclosed in

the upper part of cylinder covered by the
cylinder head and the piston top during the
combustion process.

Connecting rod-It connects the piston and the

crank shaft and transmits the forces from the
piston to the crank shaft i.e. reciprocating
motion is converted into rotary motion.

Crankshaft-It converts the reciprocating

motion of the piston into useful rotary motion
of output shaft.

Exhaust manifold-The conduit which connects

the exhaust system to exhaust valve of the
engine through which the products of
combustion escape into the atmosphere.

Inlet and exhaust valves-These valves are commonly mushroom shaped poppet type.They
regulate the charge coming into the cylinder and for discharging the products of combustion
from the cylinder.

Inlet manifold-The conduit which connects the intake system to inlet valve of the engine
through which air or air fuel mixture is drawn into the cylinder.

Piston-A cylindrical component fitted into the cylinder forming the moving boundary of the
combustion system.

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Piston rings-Piston rings, fitted into the slots around the piston, provide a tight seal between the
piston and the cylinder wall thus preventing leakage of the combustion gases.

Spark plug-It initiates the combustion process in spark ignition engines and is usually located on
the cylinder head.

Working principle

All internal combustion engines have a certain sequence of events that must take place to convert
the chemical energy in the fuel into
mechanical work.

Intake Stroke: As the name suggests in

this stroke the intake of fuel takes place.
When the engine starts, the piston
descends to the cylinder's bottom from
the top. Thus the pressure inside the
cylinder reduces. Now the intake valve
opens and the fuel and air mixture enters
the cylinder. The valve then closes.
Compression Stroke: This stroke is
known as compression stroke because
the compression of the fuel mixture
takes place at this stage. When the
intake valve closes (exhaust valve is
already closed), the piston forced back
to the top of the cylinder and the fuel
mixture gets compressed. The
compression is around 1/8th of the
original volume. An engine is
considered more efficient if its compression ratio is higher.

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Combustion/Power Stroke: Now in case of petrol engine when the fuel mixture compresses to
the maximum value the spark plug produces spark which ignites the fuel mixture. The
combustion leads to the production of high pressure gases. Due to this tremendous force the
piston is driven back to the bottom of the cylinder. As the piston moves downwards, the
crankshaft rotates which rotates the propeller of an aircraft.
Exhaust Stroke: As the wheel moves to the bottom the exhaust valve opens up and due to the
momentum gained by the wheel the piston is pushed back to the top of the cylinder. The gases
due to combustion are hence expelled out of the cylinder into the atmosphere through the exhaust
valve.
The exhaust valve closes after the exhaust stroke and again the intake valve opens and the four
strokes are repeated.

Conclusion:

Thus the components and their function of piston engine have been studied.

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SAMPLE VIVA QUESTIONS

1. How we can categorize the aircraft piston engines?

2. What are the important components and their functions?
3. Why we need piston rings around the piston?
4. How reciprocating engine differs from jet engine for aircraft propulsion?
5. Differentiate pre-ignition, detonation and knocking?
6. Draw the ideal and real P-v , T-s diagram for 4stroke petrol engine ?
7. What is the drawback of aircraft piston engine over jet engine?
8. Are IC engines cyclic or non cyclic? Give the reason
9. Differentiate the IP,BP & FP ?
10. What is the physical significance of valve timing diagram?

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EXPERIMENT NO-2

STUDY OF AN AIRCRAFT JET ENGINE

Aim: To study the various components, their function and operating principles of an aircraft jet
engine.

Apparatus: MIG -21 R13-300 Turbojet with Afterburner Engine.

Specifications:

Type Turbojet with Afterburner

Length 4.6 m
Diameter Max 906mm,Inlet dia 690 mm
Compressor Twin spool,3LP and 5HP
Combustor Can annular type(10 can with duplex injector)
Turbine Two stage reaction(1HP and 1LP)
Nozzle Variable Area nozzle
Max. compression ratio 8.9
Turbine inlet temperature 10250C
SFC 0.0978 kg/N h, 0.229 kg/N h with Additional combustion
Max.Thrust 40221 KN, With Auxiliary combustion 64746 KN
Air supply 67 kg/s

Theory:

A turbojet engine consists of the following sections and systems:

 Air intake section
 Compressor section
 Combustion section
 Turbine section
 Exhaust section
 Accessory section(Systems necessary for starting, lubrication, fuel supply, and auxiliary
purposes, such as anti-icing, cooling, and afterburning)

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AIR INTAKE SECTION

The air intake section directs incoming air to the compressor entrance with a minimum of
energy loss. Additionally, it must deliver this air under all flight conditions with as little
turbulence and pressure variation as possible. Normally, the engine inlet is part of the airframe.
Proper duct design contributes to aircraft performance by increasing ram recovery and limiting
pressure drops. Divergent inlet designs changes ram air velocity into high static pressure at the
compressor inlet.
Two methods of classifying inlet ducts are as follows:
 Single entrance and divided entrance
 Subsonic and supersonic ducts

COMPRESSOR SECTION

The primary function of the compressor is to supply air in enough quantity to satisfy the
requirements of the combustion burners. Specifically, the compressor increases the air mass
received from the air inlet duct and directs it to the burners in the quantity and at the pressures
required. A secondary function is to supply compressor bleed air for various purposes in the
engine and aircraft. The compressor provides space for mounting accessories and engine parts.
There are two basic types of compressors.
 Centrifugal-flow compressors have a compression ratio of 5:1.
 Axial flow compressors have compression ratios approaching 15:1

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Modern jet engine uses a axial-flow compressor which has two main element
 Rotor
 Stator.
Each consecutive pair of rotor and stator blades makes a pressure stage. The rotor is a shaft
with blades attached to it. These blades impel air rearward in the same manner as a propeller, by
reason of their angle and airfoil contour.. The action of the rotor increases the compression of the
air. At each stage it accelerates rearward. The stator blades act as diffusers, partially converting
high velocity to pressure. Maintaining high efficiency requires small changes in the rate of
diffusion at each stage. The number of stages depends on the amount of air and total pressure rise
required. A greater number of stages means a higher compression ratio. Most present day
engines use from 10 to 16 stages.

COMBUSTION SECTION

The combustion section provides the means for and houses the combustion process. Its
function is to raise the temperature of the air passing through the engine. This process releases
energy contained in the air and fuel.
The primary considerations in burning the fuel-air mixture include:
 Providing the means for proper mixing of the fuel and air to assure good combustion.
 Burning this mixture efficiently.
 Cooling the hot combustion products to a temperature that the turbine blades can
withstand under operating conditions.
 Directing the hot gases to the turbine section.
About one-fourth of the air entering the combustion chamber area mixes with the fuel for
combustion. This is primary air. The remaining air (secondary air) serves as flame control.
Keeping the temperature of the heated gases down to a level at which the liners, turbine nozzles,
or blades will not burn. All combustion chambers contain the same basic elements: a casing, a
perforated inner liner, a fuel injection system, some means for initial ignition, and a fuel drainage
system to drain off unburned fuel after engine shutdown.

The three basic types of combustion chambers are as follows:

 The multiple chamber, or can.
 The annular, or basket.
 The can-annular.

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TURBINE SECTION

The turbine transforms a portion of the kinetic (velocity) energy of the exhaust gases into
mechanical energy to drive the compressor and necessary accessories. This is the sole purpose of
the turbine. This function absorbs about 60 to 80 percent of the total pressure energy from the
exhaust gases. The exact amount of energy absorption at the turbine is determined by the load
the turbine is driving. The compressor size, type, accessories, and a propeller and its reduction
gears if the engine is a turbo-propeller type, also affect absorption.

The turbine assembly consists of two basic elements

 stator
 rotor
The stationary vanes of the turbine nozzle are contoured and set at such an angle that they
form small nozzles. They discharge the gas as extremely high-speed jets. Thus, the nozzle
converts a varying portion of the heat and pressure energy to velocity energy. It can then be
converted to mechanical energy through the rotor blades. The second purpose of the turbine
nozzle is to deflect the gases to a specific angle in the direction of turbine wheel rotation. Since
the gas flow from the nozzle must enter the turbine blade passageway while the turbine is still
rotating, it is essential to aim the gas in the general direction of turbine rotation.
There are two types of turbine stages
 Impulse stage turbine
 Reaction stage turbine

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AFTERBURNER SECTION

Fighter aircrafts require more thrust for short take off and Emergency situations. For
those application, Engine will have a component called Afterburner. Actually, it is more like a
converted tailpipe. The entire afterburner is projected from the engine. It is supported only at the
exhaust end where it is bolted to the engine.
Since the duct acts as a burner, the
inlet air velocity must be sufficiently low to
support stable combustion and to avoid
excessive pressure losses. For these
purposes a diffuser is located between the
turbine outlet and the tailpipe burner inlet.
Thus, the burner section of the duct can
reduce gas velocities so they do not exceed
the flame propagation rate. Mixing by
diffusion is too slow a process to be an aid
in forming a combustible mixture. The
flame holders provide local turbulence and
reduce velocity, which aids combustion
stability. The flame holders are located
downstream from the fuel-injection nozzles,
Additional energy is given to the exhaust gases by burning additional fuel sprayed in the exhaust
stream aft of the turbine.

EXHAUST SECTION

The exhaust section of the turbojet engine is made up of several parts, each of which has
its individual functions.. They must direct the flow of hot gases rearward in such a manner as to
prevent turbulence, while causing a high final or exit velocity to the gases.
The parts of the exhaust section include the exhaust cone, tailpipe (if required), and the
exhaust, or jet nozzle. The exhaust cone collects
the exhaust gases discharged from the turbine
assembly and gradually converts them into a solid
jet. During this operation, the velocity of the gases
will decrease slightly, and the pressure will
increase. This is caused by the diverging passage
between the outer duct and the inner cone. This
element collects and delivers the exhaust gases.
The gases flow either directly or through a tailpipe
to the jet nozzle, depending on whether or not a
tailpipe is required. There is no need for a tailpipe
in some engines
There are two types of jet nozzle design.
 Converging design, used on most freed-area nozzles for subsonic velocities
 Converging/diverging design, for supersonic gas velocities.

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ACCESSORY SECTION

. The primary function is to provide space for the mounting of accessories necessary for
the operation and control of the engine. It also includes accessories concerned with the aircraft,
such as electric generators and fluid power pumps. The secondary purpose includes acting as an
oil reservoir, oil sump, and providing for and housing of accessory drive gears and reduction
gears.. The accessories on engines are the fuel control with its governing device, the high-
pressure fuel pump(s), and a breather screen or other means for venting the oil system. Other
parts are the oil sump, oil pressure and scavenge pumps, auxiliary fuel pump, starting fuel pump,
and other accessories, including starter, generator, and tachometer. Although these accessories
are essential, the particular combination of engine driven accessories depends upon the use for
which the engine is designed.

WORKING PRINCIPLE

Air taken in from an opening in the front of the engine is compressed to 3 to 12 times its
original pressure in compressor. Fuel is added to the air and burned in a combustion chamber to
raise the temperature of the fluid mixture to about 1,100°F to 1,300° F. The resulting hot air is
passed through a turbine, which drives the compressor. If the turbine and compressor are
efficient, the pressure at the turbine discharge will be nearly twice the atmospheric pressure, and
this excess pressure is sent to the nozzle to produce a high-velocity stream of gas which produces
a thrust. Substantial increases in thrust can be obtained by employing an afterburner. It is a
second combustion chamber positioned after the turbine and before the nozzle. The afterburner
increases the temperature of the gas ahead of the nozzle. The result of this increase in
temperature is an increase of about 40 percent in thrust at takeoff and a much larger percentage
at high speeds once the plane is in the air.

Conclusion:
Thus the construction, working principle and components of gas turbine engine have
been studied.

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SAMPLE VIVA QUESTIONS

1. What are the different gas turbine engines?

2. What is the operating cycle of a gas turbine engine? Explain each process?
3. Clarify the flow separation, stalling and surging in compressor?
4. What are the different types of combustion chambers used, compare it?
5. Explain the importance of liners in combustor?
6. What is the material consideration to be followed for compressor and turbine?
7. Why we need a diffuser and a nozzle?
8. Difference between axial flow compressor and centrifugal compressor?
9. What are the main combustion products of a GTE? How we can reduce it?
10. How GTE is different from piston engine?

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