Aviation engines

• Piston engine : the combustion process is intermittent, governed by the rythm of the back and forth movements of the piston in a cylinder. Four main engine configurations exist in the aviation sector : in-line, "V", radial and horizontally opposed. Piston engines handle fluctuating loads better than gas turbine engine.
  
  
• Turbine engine (reaction engine) : the combustion process is continuous and the engine is made of three sections (compression, combustion, turbine).
  "An aircraft gas turbine engine generates hot, pressurized gas by burning fuel in a confined space. The gas, in the process of escaping from the engine, drives a turbine that, in turn, drives the compressor that compresses the air entering the engine. The hot compressed gas leaves the engine at high velocity, generating the thrust that pushes the aircraft forward."
  
  Turbine engines suit better to large power requirements and have better endurance capacity. For similar performances, gas turbine engine are smaller than piston-engines but are more expensive.
  
  There are three different types of turbine engines :
  
  
  1. the turbojet (the earliest ; Turbojet engines perform well at high altitudes and high airspeeds, but are less efficient at low altitudes and low airspeeds.),
     
     
  2. the turbofan (A turbofan engine uses a turbojet as a core, but has a large fan mounted in front of the compressor section. The fan, which, like the compressors, is driven by a turbine, acts like a propeller; it pushes air to create thrust.),
     
     
  3. and the turboshaft/turboprop (A turboshaft uses a turbojet engine, but the exhaust gases drive a low-pressure turbine, which connects to a gearbox. If the gearbox drives a propeller, then the engine is called a turboprop. The gearbox can also be connected to electric generators, pumping devices, or, in helicopters, a rotor. In these applications the engine is known as a turboshaft.)
     

• piston engine animation
• turbojet engine animation
• turbofan engine animation
• turboprop engine animation

=> Glossary