JET PROPULSION TODAY

Gas Turbine Engines

Jet Propulsion Today
● Today, the majority of commercial aircraft utilize some form of
jet propulsion. In addition, there are currently several
manufacturers that produce entire lines of jet powered aircraft
that cruise in excess of 600 miles per hour and carry more than
four hundred passengers or several tons of cargo.
Jet Propulsion Today
● Another step in the progression of commercial and military
aviation was the ability to produce an engine that would propel
an aircraft faster than the speed of sound.
● Today, there are several military aircraft that travel at speeds in
excess of Mach one.
● One such aircraft is the SR-71 Blackbird which flies in excess of
Mach five.
Jet Propulsion Today
Jet Propulsion Today
Jet Propulsion Today
Jet Propulsion Today
● In commercial aviation however, there is currently only one
aircraft that flies faster than Mach one.
Jet Propulsion Today
● This aircraft, the Concorde, was built by the British and French
and placed into service in the mid seventies.
● Currently, there are more than ten Concordes in service that are
capable of flying at 2.2 times the speed of sound.
Types of Jet Propulsion
1. Rocket
● A rocket is a non-air-breathing engine that carries its own fuel as
well as the oxygen needed for the fuel to burn.
● There are two types of rockets in use: solid-propellant rockets
and liquid-propellant rockets.
Types of Jet Propulsion
A. Solid-propellant Rockets
● uses a solid fuel that is mixed with an oxidizer and formed into a
specific shape that promotes an optimum burning rate.
● Once ignited, the fuel produces an extremely high velocity
discharge of gas through a nozzle at the rear of the rocket body.
Types of Jet Propulsion
● The reaction to the rapid discharge is forward motion of the
rocket body.
● Solid fuel rockets are used primarily to propel some military
weapons and, at times, provide additional thrust for takeoff of
heavily loaded aircraft.
● These booster rockets attach to an aircraft structure and provide
the additional thrust needed for special-condition takeoffs.
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
B. Liquid-fuel Rocket
● It uses fuel and an oxidizing agent such as liquid oxygen.
● The two liquids are carried in tanks aboard the rocket.
● When the liquids are mixed, the reaction is so violent that a tremendous
amount of heat is generated.
● The resulting high velocity gas jet behind the rocket provides enough thrust
to propel an object.
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
2. Ramjet
● A Ramjet engine is an athodyd, or aero-thermodynamic-duct.

● Ramjets are air-breathing engines with no moving parts.

● However, since a ramjet has no rotating compressor to draw air
into the engine, a ramjet must be moving forward at a high
velocity before it can produce thrust.
Types of Jet Propulsion
● Once air enters the engine, fuel is injected and ignited to provide
the heat needed to accelerate the air and produce thrust.
● Because ramjets must be moving forward to produce thrust,
they are limited in their use.
● At present, ramjets are used in some military weapons delivery
systems where the vehicle is accelerated to a high initial velocity
so the ramjet can take over for sustained flight.
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
3. Pulsejet

A pulsejet engine (or pulse jet) is a type of jet engine in which

combustion occurs in pulses. A pulsejet engine can be made with
few or no moving parts, and is capable of running statically (i.e. it
does not need to have air forced into its inlet, typically by forward
motion).
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
Types of Jet Propulsion
4. Gas Turbine Engine

A gas turbine is a type of turbine that uses pressurized gas to

spin it in order to generate electricity or provide kinetic energy to
an airplane or jet. The process to do so is called the Brayton cycle.
In all modern gas turbines, the pressurized gas is created by the
burning of a fuel like natural gas, kerosene, propane or jet fuel.
The heat generated by this fuel expands air which flows through
the turbine to supply useful energy.
Types of Jet Propulsion