Type of plane engine best to worst

Hello, my dear explorer!! Reading glasses on for we are about to dive in deep about the 5 main types of airplane engines. The gas-powered engines used gas to turn turbines that would power the aircraft in flying. 

What are turboprop engines and how efficient are they?

The engine of a turbojet has gear that is attached to the propeller of the aircraft.  The work of the gearbox is to slow down the spinning shafts so that the gear and the propeller connect properly. This propeller rotates through the air to produce the thrust. The force that moves the aircraft across the skies is called thrust. Thrust comes into action when the weight of the aircraft as well as the drag affects the motion of the aircraft(to know more feel free to check out the blog on thrust in aerodynamics).  They are very fuel-efficient but the gear might break down due to the weight. They can travel at 250-400 knots at mid-range speed. 

The propeller in a turboprop aircraft engine is coupled with a reduction gear. This gear acts as a converter to convert low torque to high torque. They have the same counterparts as with larger aircraft but the propeller control equipment for this type stays different. Like any other aircraft engine, turboprops work on the basic forces of aerodynamics. Read more about the Turboprop Aircraft.

What are turbojet engines and how do they differ from turboprops? 

Type of plane engine best to worst

The difference here is going to be the compression. The air from the rear side of the engine is compressed in the compressor. The fuel is added to the combustion chamber where it is burned at very high temperatures to about 1000 degrees. The hot air coming out hits a turbine that rotates the compressor. Easy to imagine, isn’t it? The pressure moves to the nozle of the aircraft to generate sufficient thrust for lifting the aircraft. This part where the thrust is created is a second combustion chamber and is called an afterburner. The efficiency depends on the level of the aircraft engine. The burnt fuel and exhaust come out through a nozzle which pushes the aircraft forward.

What are turboshaft engines and why are they called so?

Turboshaft operation %28multilanguage%29

The turboshaft engine is very much similar to the turboprop engines. The big difference here is that these engines do not drive a propeller. Instead, they use rotors as we see in helicopters.  The principle works on the fact that a rotating foil also called the rotor, provides the lifting force. When compared to the other winged aircraft, helicopters have a longer tail which is fixed with a rotor(read more about helicopters).  The transmission of high-speed fuel gases is turned into mechanical power to run a turbines shaft that drives a rotor blade. Read more about the Jet Aircraft.

What are turbofan engines and how do they work?

450px Tfan schematic kk 20090106

You might have imagined a big fan fitted on an engine right when you heard turbofan. Exactly, that is how turbofan engines look. A big fan is fitted in front of the engine to suck in air. This provides a larger thrust at low speeds. The air that enters flows through a generator where it gets heated.  The generator has a turbine, combustion chamber, and compressor. These engines are quieter than the rest and are more fuel-efficient. They cannot go to higher altitudes due to the weight of the front area due to the fans. 

What are ramjet engines and how do they differ from the rest?

1200px Simple ramjet operation.svg

Have you heard about the lightest engines? Also ever heard about engines with no moving components? Ramjet engines are all about that. The speed of the aircraft is responsible for the entry of air into the engines. They are the same as turbojet engines but the rotating parts are dropped down in this design.  Unlike the other engines, we saw this one doesn’t have a stable or static thrust.  These engines are used in space vehicles and guided missile systems. When u imagine a space vehicle taking off you can picture two aircraft connected out of which one drops out after a certain distance. Exactly ramjet engines require assistance while taking off. This is done by attaching another aircraft. 

My fellow explorer! Now you know what are the types of aircraft engines and how they work. You also know how efficient they are in an aircraft in flight. Read more about the Supersonic planes.

aircraft, turbine, engine-2438799.jpg

Wanna know more about the other phenomenon of flight? Dig in to find out about aerodynamics and its history, basic forces of aerodynamics, and much more. 

 Hope this article made you wear your thinking caps and reading glasses. The era of inventory of life in the air is still in progress. Hope you enjoyed this fun fact time about the types of engines in airplanes. It’s time for more research! For more information on aviation and related stuff do check out our blog page at Criss Cross Tamizh. Until then, bye explorer!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top