ENGINE TURBINE LM6000PC

 TURBINE BASICS 

The balloon drawings above illustrate the basic principles upon which gas turbine engines operate.  

Compressed inside a balloon, as in (A) above, exerts force upon the confines of the balloon.  Air, which has weight and

occupies space, by definition, has mass.  The mass of the air isproportional to its density, and density is proportional to

temperature and pressure.  The air mass confined inside the balloon, accelerates from the balloon, creating a force as it is

released (B).  This force increases as mass and acceleration increase, as stated in Newton’s second law; force equals mass

times acceleration (F = MA). 

The force created by the acceleration of the air mass inside theballoon results in an equal and opposite force that causes

the balloon to be propelled in the opposite direction, as statedin Newton’s third law (for every action, there is an equal and 

opposite reaction).  Replacing the air inside the balloon, as in(C) sustains the force and, although impractical, allows a load

to be driven by the force of the air mass accelerating across and driving a turbine, as in (D).

In (E) a more practical means of sustaining the force of an accelerating air mass used to drive a load is illustrated.  A

housing contains a fixed volume of air, which is compressed by amotor driven compressor.  Acceleration of the compressed

air from the housing drives a turbine that is connected to the load.

In (F) fuel is injected between the compressor and the turbine to further accelerate the air mass, thus multiplying the force

used to drive the load.

In (G) the motor is removed and the compressor is powered by a portion of the combustion gas, thus making the engine

self-sufficient as long as fuel is provided.

In (H) a typical gas turbine-engine operation is represented. Intake air is compressed, mixedwith fuel and ignited. The hot

gas is expanded across a turbine to provide mechanical power andexhausted to atmosphere.

Turbine Basics

OVERVIEW

The major components of the engine are a compressor section, combustion section, and a turbine.  The turbine is

mechanically coupled and drives the compressor by a drive shaft.

The compressor, combustor, and turbine are called the core of the engine, since all gas turbines have these components. 

The core is also referred to as the gas generator(GG) since the output of the core is hot exhaust gas. 

The gas is passed through an exhaust duct to atmosphere. On sometypes of applications, the exhaust gas is used to drive

an additional turbine called the power turbinewhich is connected to a  piece of  driven equipment (i.e. generators, pumps,

process compressors, etc). 

Because of their high power output and high thermal efficiency, gas turbine engines are also used in a wide variety of

applications not related to the aircraft industry.  Connecting the main shaft (or power turbine) of the engine to an electromagnet