Republic of the Philippines

PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS

Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

Parts of a
Gas Turbine
Engine
(Turbine Section)

FLEXIBLE LEARNING MODULE 2

AIRCRAFT POWERPLANT II (MIDTERM)

1
 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

TOPIC LEARNING MODULE LEARNING TOPIC LEARNING

OUTCOME OUTCOMES OUTCOMES

CLO 1 Discuss the history and MLO 1 Explain the TLO 1 Recognize the history
development of the aircraft background history of a jet of jet propulsion and its
gas turbine engine. engine recent development
CLO 2 Explain the operating MLO 2 Express the operating TLO 2 Illustrate the operating
principles of a gas turbine principles of the turbine principles of a gas turbine
engine. engine. engine
CLO 3 Distinguish the type of MLO 3 Restate the different TLO 3 Categorize the factors
gas turbine engine and how it parts of a gas turbine engine. that affect thrust produce by
operates. MLO 4 Distinguish the type of a gas turbine engine
CLO 4 Label the essential turbine engine. TLO 4 Differentiate the types
parts of the aircraft gas of a jet engine
turbine engine and discuss its TLO 5 Identify the part of a
functions. gas turbine engine
CLO 5 Discuss the necessary TLO 6 Explain the purpose of
inspection used to maintain the air inlet duct to the
the airworthiness of a gas performance of a gas turbine
turbine engine. engine
CLO 6 Demonstrate TLO 7 Express the type of a
appropriate knowledge on gas turbine engine
principles of operation of the compressor
aircraft gas turbine engine by
discussing it during
laboratory activity.

2
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

3
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

TURBINE SECTION
After the fuel/air mixture burns in the combustor, its energy must be extracted. A

turbine transforms a portion of the kinetic energy in the hot exhaust gases into

mechanical energy to drive the compressor and accessories. In a turbojet engine, the

turbine absorbs approximately 60 to 80% of the total pressure energy from the exhaust

gases. The turbine section of a turbojet engine is located downstream of the combustion

section and consists of four basic elements: a case, a stator, a shroud, and a rotor.

[Figure 3-45]

Figure 1 3-45. The four basic elements of the turbine assembly

in a gas turbine engine are the case, stator, shroud, and rotor .

4
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

CASE
The turbine case encloses the turbine rotor and stator assembly and provides either

direct or indirect support to the stator elements. A typical case has flanges on each end

to provide attachment points to the combustion section and the exhaust assembly.

TURBINE STATOR
The stator element is most commonly referred to as the turbine nozzle; however, the

stator elements can also be called turbine guide vanes or the nozzle diaphragm. The

turbine nozzle is located directly aft of the combustion section and immediately ahead

of the turbine wheel. Because of its location, the turbine nozzle is typically exposed to

the highest temperatures within a gas turbine engine.

The purpose of the turbine nozzle is to collect the high-energy airflow from the

combustors and direct the flow to strike the turbine rotor at the appropriate angle. The

vanes of a turbine nozzle are contoured and positioned to form a number of converging

nozzles that convert some of the exhaust gas pressure energy to velocity energy.

5
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

Furthermore, the angle of the stator vanes is set in the direction of turbine wheel

rotation to most efficiently convert the velocity into mechanical energy.

SHROUD
The turbine nozzle assembly consists of an inner and outer shroud that retains and

surrounds the nozzle vanes. The number of vanes employed varies with the type and

size of an engine. The turbine nozzle vanes are assembled between the outer and

inner shrouds (or rings) in a variety of ways. Although the actual elements might vary

slightly in their configuration and construction, one aspect is common to all turbine

nozzles: the nozzle van es are constructed to permit thermal expansion. Otherwise, the

rapid temperature changes imposed by the engine would cause severe distortion or

warping of the nozzle assembly.

One way that designers address the thermal expansion

of turbine nozzles is to assemble them loosely within the inner and outer shrouds. The

shrouds are built with a series of contoured slots designed to accommodate the shape of

an individual vane. The slots are slightly larger than the vanes to provide a loose fit. For

strength and rigidity, the inner and outer shrouds are encased in an inner and outer

support ring. These support rings also facilitate removal of the nozzle vanes as a unit.

Figure 2 3 -46. A loose fit between the vanes and shrouds permits
6
thermal expansion without warping the turbine nozzle

assembly.
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

Without the support rings, the vanes could fall out if the shrouds were removed. [Figure

3-46]

A second method of attaching nozzle vanes is to rigidly weld or rivet the vanes into the

inner and outer shrouds. To enable thermal expansion, the inner or outer shroud ring is

cut into segments. As thermal expansion takes place, the shrouds expand and close the

gaps between the shroud segments. The gaps are carefully engineered to provide

sufficient room for expansion to prevent stress and warping. [Figure 3-4 7]

7
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

Figure 3 3-4 7. When vanes are riveted or welded into segmented

shrouds, the gaps between shroud segments permit

thermal expansion .

TURBINE ROTOR
The rotating elements of a turbine section consist of a shaft and a turbine rotor, or

wheel. The turbine wheel is a dynamically balanced unit consisting of blades attached to

a rotating disk. The turbine disk anchors the turbine blades and is bolted or welded to

the main shaft. The shaft rotates in bearings lubricated by oil between the outer race and

bearing housing. This arrangement reduces vibration and allows for a slight

misalignment in the shaft.

As the high-velocity gases pass through the turbine nozzle and hit the turbine blades,

the turbine wheel rotates. In some engines, a single turbine wheel cannot absorb

sufficient energy from the exhaust gas to drive the compressor and accessories.

8
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

Therefore, many engines use multiple turbine stages, each stage consisting of a turbine

nozzle and wheel.

The severe centrifugal loads imposed by the high rotational speeds, as well as the

elevated operating temperatures exert extreme stress on the turbine blades. At times,

these stresses can cause turbine blades to expand in length. If left unchecked, this

expansion (or creep) can result in the turbine blades rubbing against the engine's outer

casing.

TURBINE BLADES
Turbine blades are airfoil-shaped components designed to extract the maximum amount

of energy from the flow of hot gases. Blades are either forged or cast, depending on

their alloy composition. Early blades were manufactured from steel forgings; however,

today most turbine blades consist of cast nickel-based alioys. In either case, after a

blade is forged or cast, it must be finish-ground to the desired shape. As an alternative

to metal turbine blades, the development of blades manufactured from reinforced

ceramic materials are being developed. Because of ceramic's ability to withstand high

temperatures, greater engine efficiencies might be possible. Their initial application is

likely to be in small, high-speed turbines operating at very high temperatures.

9
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

Turbine blades fit loosely into a turbine disk when an engine is cold, but expand to fit

tightly at normal operating temperatures. The most commonly used method for

attaching turbine blades is by fir tree slots cut into the turbine disk rim and matching

Figure 4 3-48. The loose fit of a

fir tree base permits the base of

a turbine blade to expand as it

heats to operating temperature.

bases cast or machined into the turbine blade base. [Figure 3-48]

10
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

After it is installed, a turbine blade is retained in its groove either by peening, welding,

rivets, or lock tabs. The peening method is used frequently in various ways. A common

application of peening requires a small notch to be ground in the edge of the blade's fir

tree root prior to installation. After the blade is inserted into the disk, the notch is filled

by the disk metal, which is peened into it by a small punch mark made in the disk

adjacent to the notch. A tool similar to a center punch is used for this job.

Turbine blades are gen erally classified as impulse, reaction, or combination impulse-

reaction. In a turbine that uses impulse blades, the blades merely change the direction of

airflow coming from the turbine nozzle and cause relatively no change in gas pressure

Figure 5 3-49 . In an impulse

turbine system, the turbine
nozzle

vanes form a series of

converging ducts that increase
the

velocity of the exhaust gases .

The impulse turbine blades

extract energy from the gases

as the blades redirect the flow

of high -velocity gases .

or velocity. The turbine wheel simply absorbs the force required to ch ange the direction

of airflow and converts it to rotary motion. [Figure 3-49]

11
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

Reaction turbine blades produce a turning force based on an aerodynamic action. To do

this , the turbine blades form a series of converging ducts that increase gas velocity and

reduce pressure . The result is similar to what happens to an airfoil, in that the reduced

pressure produces a lifting force. However, in a turbine, the force is exerted in the

direction of ro tation. [Figure 3-50]

Figure 6 3-51 . To help account for the

different rotational

speeds along the length of a turbine

blade, most turbine

engines use impulse-reaction turbine

blades. This type of

blade is constructed with an impulse

section at its base and

a reaction section at its tip.

12
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

To more evenly distribute the workload along the length of the blade, most modern

turbine engines incorporate impulse-reaction turbine blades. With th is type of blade,

the blade base is impulse-shaped while the blade tip is reaction-shaped. This design

results in a uniform velocity and pressure drop across the entire blade length. (Figure 3-

51]

Turbine blades can be open or shrouded at their ends. Open-ended blades are used on

high-speed turbines, while shrouded blades are commonly used on turbines having

slower rotational speeds. With shrouded blades, a shroud is attached to the

tip of each blade. When installed, the blade shrouds contact each other and provide

support, which substantially reduces vibration. The shrouds also prevent air from

escaping over the blade tip s, which results in increased efficiency. However, because of

the added weight, shrouded turbine blades are more susceptible to blade growth. [Figure

3-52]

13
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

Figure 7 3-52. Shrouded blades form a band around the

turbine wheel perimeter to reduce blade vibration and

increase efficiency.

To improve the airflow characteristics around shrouded turbine blades furth er, a knife-

edge seal is machined around the outside of the shroud to reduce air losses at the blade

tip. The knife -edge seal fits with a close tolerance into a shrouded ring mounted in the

outer turbine case.

14
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

COOLING
Temperature control is an important consideration in the design of a turbine section.

The temperature of the turbine section is the most limiting factor in the operation of a

gas turbine engine. However, the higher an engine raises the temperature of the

incoming air, the more power, or thrust, an engine can produce. Therefore, the

effectiveness of a turbine engine's cooling system significantly affects engine

performance. Through the design of cooling systems, many cooling systems enable the

turbine vane and blade components to operate in a thermal environment 600 to 800

degrees Fahrenheit above the temperature limits of their metal alloys.

One of the most common ways of cooling the components in the turbine section is by

using engine bleed air. Because turbine disks absorb heat from hot gases passing near

their rim and from the blades through conduction, disk rim temperatures are normally

well above the temperature of the disk portion nearest the shaft. To limit the effect of

these temperature variations, cooling air is directed over each side of the disk.

To cool turbine nozzle vanes and turbine blades, compressor bleed air can be directed in

through the hollow blades and out through holes in the tip, leading edge, and trailing

15
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

edge. This type of cooling is known as convection cooling or film cooling. [Figure 3-

53]

Figure 8 3 -53. An internally cooled blade receives cooling air at the root and expels it at the tip or through
holes in the leading and

trailing edges.

In addition to drilling holes in a turbine vane or blade, some stationary nozzle vanes are

constructed of a porous, high-temperature material. In this case, bleed air is ducted into

16
Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas

the vanes and exits through the porous material. This type of cooling is known as

transpiration cooling.

Modern engine designs incorporate a combination of air-cooling methods using low-

and high-pressure air for both internal and surface cooling of turbine vanes and blades.

To provide additional cooling, the turbine vane shrouds might also be perforated with

cooling holes.

COUNTER-ROTATING TURBINES
While not common in large engines, some small turboshaft engines feature counter-

rotating turbine wheels. Counter-rotating turbines are used for their effectiveness in

dampening gyroscopic effects and reducing engine vibration, but this design provides

no aerodynamic advantage.

17