MECH 432 Lab – Turbojet Engine

Experimental Goals
• Describe the main components of a turbojet engine and understand their purpose.
• Be able to plot relative T-s and P-v diagrams for a Brayton cycle.
• Be able to follow the procedures and setup necessary to operate a turbojet engine and
collect data using the provided data acquisition system.
• Configure a data acquisition system to collect the following turbojet engine performance
data: air mass flow rate, pressures and temperatures and inlet and outlet of turbojet main
components, thrust, and fuel consumption.
• Be able to use the collected data to determine turbine isentropic efficiencies, air-fuel ratio,
thrust specific fuel consumption, and specific thrust of the turbojet engine operating at
steady-state over a range of speeds.

Questions to Investigate and Answer

1. Estimate the combustion efficiency at 80,000 rpm by dividing the combustor heat rate input
by the theoretical fuel energy rate:
𝑄𝑄̇𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑚𝑚̇𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 (ℎ3 − ℎ2 )
𝜂𝜂𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 = =
̇
𝐸𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑚𝑚̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝑉𝑉𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓
The lower heating value (LHV) of kerosene is 43,200 kJ/kg.
2. Compare the turbine power output, 𝑚𝑚̇𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 (ℎ3 − ℎ4 ), with the compressor power input,
𝑚𝑚̇𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 (ℎ2 − ℎ1 ), at 80,000 rpm. Comment on their relative magnitudes. Are they what you
expected? Should they be approximately equal? Explain and discuss.
3. Using the measured thrust value in newtons developed at 80,000 rpm, estimate the steady-
state speed of an aircraft (𝑉𝑉𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 ) propelled horizontally by this engine. Assume an air
density of 0.9 kg/m3, drag coefficient (𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 ) of 0.1, and a projected area of 0.5 m2. Then,
estimate the propulsive efficiency (𝜂𝜂𝑃𝑃 ) of the aircraft using:
𝑊𝑊̇𝑃𝑃 𝐹𝐹𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑉𝑉𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎
𝜂𝜂𝑃𝑃 = ≈
𝑄𝑄̇𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑚𝑚̇𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 (ℎ3 − ℎ2 )
Be sure to use consistent units!
4. What is the best in-flight fuel economy between 40,000 and 80,000 rpm?
5. Review the data file and make sure you understand all measured quantities. Note that the
recorded pressures for stations 2 through 5 are gage static pressures in psi. These must be
converted to SI absolute pressures before you perform any calculations. The pressure
recorded at station 1 is a Pitot-tube differential pressure, ΔP_1 in psi. This must be
converted to Pa and is used to calculate the air flow velocity (m/s) and mass flow rate
(kg/s).
6. The thrust measurement has a pre-load of 5 to 8 lbs. The actual value can be found in the
pre-start data record. The average pre-load value must be subtracted from all thrust
measurements.
7. Select about ten steady-state readings for each RPM setting and average this data. Convert
the averaged data to SI units, compute all the requested quantities, and make a summary
table. Be sure to show all property evaluations and unit conversions in sample calculations.
Note: we have had problems with the T_4 thermocouple, so some of your turbine efficiency
values may be inaccurate.
8. From your results, plot the air mass flow rate (𝑚𝑚̇𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 ), nozzle velocity (𝑉𝑉5 ), and thrusts (𝐹𝐹
and 𝐹𝐹𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 ) versus actual rpm. Plot the calculated and measured thrusts on the same graph.

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Test Equipment and Governing Equations
Refer to the BBLearn lab folder for several documents that describe the Turbine Technologies SR-
30 Turbojet Engine Mini-Lab™. These include:
• Specifications - TT_GasTurbine_LX4000spec.pdf
• Sensor locations - TT_GasTurbineSensorLocations.pdf
• Sensor type - TT_GasTurbineSensors.pdf
The SR-30 turbojet engine consists of an inlet bell, a centrifugal compressor, a combustion chamber,
an axial-flow turbine stage, and a thrust nozzle. A pitot-static tube inside the bell near the
compressor inlet (station 1) allows calculation of the inlet air velocity from the measured pressure
drop (∆P1), from which the air mass flow rate can be determined by

2∆P1
V1 = and (1)
ρ1
m air = ρ1 A1V1 (2)
where 𝐴𝐴1 = 31.4 cm2. The density 𝜌𝜌1 can be determined from the ideal gas law using the recorded
temperature 𝑇𝑇1 and estimating the static pressure at station 1 as 𝑃𝑃𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 .
The isentropic efficiency of the compressor is determined from the air enthalpies at the compressor
inlet (station 1) and exit (station 2):
h2 s − h1
ηC = . (3)
h2 − h1
The isentropic efficiency of the turbine is determined from the air enthalpies at the turbine inlet
(station 3) and exit (station 4):
h3 − h4
ηT = . (4)
h3 − h4 s
The air enthalpies can be computed from temperature and pressure data at each station. EES will
make this easier.
The combustor air-fuel ratio is determined from the measured fuel (kerosene) volumetric flow rate
kg
and known fuel mass density (𝜌𝜌𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 814 m3 ):

m air m air
AF = = . (5)
 fuel ρ fuelV fuel
m
The engine thrust (𝐹𝐹) can be computed from the nozzle exit velocity (station 5) and velocity at the
inlet to the bell (station 0):

F ≅ m air (V5 − V0 ) , (6)

2( P4 − Patm )
V5 ≈ (Bernoulli eqn.), and (7)
ρ5

2
 m air
V0 = , (8)
ρ 0 A0
where 𝐴𝐴0 = 175 cm2 and 𝜌𝜌0 ≈ 𝜌𝜌1 . The computed thrust can then be compared to the measured
thrust. Two additional performance parameters related to the thrust are the Thrust Specific Fuel
Consumption (TSFC) and the Specific Thrust (ST):
m fuel
TSFC = , (9)
Fmeas
Fmeas
ST = . (10)
m air
Starting a turbojet engine is not like starting an internal combustion gas engine. IC engine timing,
ignition, and air/fuel mixture are carefully coordinated using the crankshaft (and electronic control
module, ECM, for modern autos). Initially rotating the flywheel, which is connected to the
crankshaft, with a starter motor will result in the piston pulling in a charge of air that is mixed with
fuel, compressed and ignited. As soon as ignition occurs and the resulting power stroke moves the
piston down, the crankshaft gains power, opens and closes appropriate valves, and the engine is
running and ready to intake another charge of air. Control of an Otto cycle engine is accomplished
by controlling the air that flows past the throttle plate. Controlling a Diesel engine is done by
controlling the flow of fuel into the cylinder.
A turbojet engine is a continuous flow internal combustion engine and starting it is a little bit like
figuring out which came first, the chicken or the egg. When a turbojet engine is screaming along at a
few tens of thousands of rpms, it’s hard to know how it got going. Unlike an IC engine, where
combustion of the air/fuel mixture results in an almost immediate demand for more air/fuel
mixture, the turbojet is controlled by the regulation of fuel, which needs a lot air before it can
combust, but air enters a turbojet when sufficient fuel is being combusted. So, how does the air first
get inside a turbojet engine when it’s not running?
The answer: an external source is used to spin up the turbojet’s rotor to draw sufficient air into the
combustion chamber. This external source is often an additional air-turbine geared to the turbojet’s
rotor, an external electric motor powered by batteries, or an onboard (aircraft) auxiliary power
unit (APU) using “bleed” air. In this lab, compressed air is used to spin up the rotor.
Because sufficient air is needed in the combustor before continuous combustion occurs, there is a
specific sequence that must be followed to successfully start up a turbojet engine. The Turbine
Technologies SR-30 Turbojet Engine is no exception. To start the SR-30 turbojet engine, first the
ignitors are turned on and the throttle lever is placed in the fully on position (WOT – wide open
throttle). No fuel is flowing because the fuel switch (pump) is not yet turned on. Then, the turbojet’s
rotor is spun up using compressed air that is plumbed into the lab. When the rotor is spinning fast
enough to draw in sufficient air for combustion, the fuel is turned on. Since the ignitors are already
on and sparking, the fuel ignites, and the turbojet engine starts up. This is called light-off! A flame
looks like it is being blown out of the turbojet’s exhaust nozzle. As long as combustion has
progressed appropriately, the flame will quickly retract back into the turbojet exhaust nozzle as the
turbine speeds up. There should be an immediate drop in turbine temperature as high volumes of
air are now passing through the engine providing necessary cooling as well as more efficient
combustion.
There are a few situations in which the turbojet engine does not startup or experiences a “hot
start”, which results in the turbine temperature increasing rapidly just after the fuel is turned on. In
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either case, the fuel switch should be turned off and the start aborted. The detailed procedure for
starting the turbojet engine is provided below.

Special Precautions
• Required personal protective equipment
o Hearing protection
o Eye protection
• Fire extinguisher easily accessible
• Trained operator present
• Do not stand at the engine’s inlet or exit locations during operation.
• Make sure that no foreign objects can be ingested through the inlet bell.
• Do not touch the exhaust ducting during or immediately after operation.
• Do not start engine if EGT is above 100°C

Equipment Operating Procedure

Pre-start
1. Get keys for the Dynamometer/Gas Turbine Environmental Controls panel, Turbojet
Console Master, Fuel/Oil Panel.
2. Put in Dyno key in the Environmental Control panel and select Turbine Mode.
3. Turn on 120V AC (this provides power to the combustion room).
4. Check that Master Key switch and all other switches are turned off.
5. Go to the back of the Turbojet console. Be careful of the exhaust pipe. It might be HOT!
a. Open the fuel/oil panel
b. Remove “gas” cap by unscrewing. Use care when turning as the cap is fragile.
c. Use flashlight to check fuel level. It should be 1-2” from top of filler tube.
d. Use flashlight to check turbine oil level. It must be no more than 3-4” from top of
filler tube.
e. If refilling is necessary, notify the instructor or Tech Shop staff before proceeding.
6. Check Turbojet console and verify that starting air pressure reads at least 100 psig.
7. Record the atmospheric pressure from the digital barometer (kPa) on the instrument rack
near the wind tunnel.
8. Turn on Master Key switch; low oil pressure light should be red.
9. Turn on Electronics Master switch; all panel LED displays should be on.
10. Make sure data acquisition module is connected to computer via USB cable.
11. Power up computer and open the Personal DaqView software from the desktop icon. The
proper configuration file should load automatically and the screen displays the pDaqView
Menu Bar with data display meters.

12. Click the “Configure Channel Settings” icon to review the thirteen channels of
measured data. No action is needed here; close window after reviewing.

13. Click the “Configure Data Destination” icon , enter a filename (e.g., TurbojetT1), and
click OK.

14. Click the “Update All Indicators” icon to update all analog meters. Check to make sure
that all meters are reading data.

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 15. Click the “Arm Trigger for Disk Recording” icon to begin recording data. Data will be
recorded every 5 seconds with a time tag. The current number of scans will appear on the
Menu Bar opposite “Progress:”
Turbine Start
1. Turn on room supply/exhaust fans on Environmental Controls panel outside combustion
room. Leave combustion door open to ensure adequate ventilation.
2. Place throttle lever in the start position (push fully forward).
3. Turn on Ignition switch; ignition indicator light should be on.
4. On Turbojet console be sure EGT reads less than 100°C. If not, wait until it does.
5. Place right hand on throttle lever and with left hand turn ON the Air Start switch.
6. Wait for engine speed to reach 10,000 RPM and turn fuel switch on (up).
7. Wait for up to 10 seconds for light-off to occur.
a. Normal start:
i. Flames will be seen at the exit nozzle;
ii. As flames recede back into turbojet exhaust nozzle, slowly move throttle
lever down to maintain 40,000 rpm.
iii. EGT will decrease from between 500 to 700°C right after light-off to around
400°C.
b. Abnormal start:
i. TURN OFF Fuel switch if any of the following is observed:
ii. Fuel air mixture never ignites.
iii. Fuel air mixture ignites but in a cloud of “fog” and goes out quickly.
iv. Excessive engine vibration
v. Fuel leakage (note: there does exist some oil leakage near the rear of the
turbine)
vi. Sparks exiting the nozzle
vii. Rapid EGT rise that exceeds engine starting temperature limitations (955°C
during 0-4 sec, 800°C during 4-8 sec, 720°C after 8 sec)
8. Turn off Ignition and Air Start switches once engine reaches stable idle speed – adjust to
approximately 40,000 RPM
Data Collection and Normal Shutdown:
1. Run engine at approximately 40,000, 50,000, 60,000, 70,000, and 80,000 (max) RPM until
steady-state is reached, i.e., no more than two minutes at each setting (do not waste fuel).
2. Return throttle lever to idle position.

3. Terminate data recording by clicking once again.

4. Idle engine for about one minute, then turn off Fuel switch
5. Download the data file to a flash drive after shutdown. The data file is an ASCII text file that
can be found in C:\My Documents\MiniLab Files\Data\ASCII. The file can be imported into
Excel.
Emergency Shutdown following Abnormal Start or Abnormal Operation:
1. Turn off Fuel switch.
2. Turn off Ignition switch if on.
3. Turn on Air Start switch to cool engine if overheated.