The basics of gas turbine and aircraft engine performance.

The tutorial begins with the fundamentals of performance calculations and the thermodynamic cycle of the gas turbine. It is explained why further increasing the burner exit temperature will do little to increase thermal efficiency. A reduction of the specific fuel consumption of aircraft engines can essentially only be achieved by improving the propulsion efficiency.
At the beginning of a new engine development, some fundamental decisions must be made: Should the two streams of a turbofan be mixed and expanded in one nozzle or is it better to use two nozzles? When is it better to use a simple convergent nozzle and when is a convergent-divergent nozzle advantageous? Is a two-stage high pressure turbine necessary or is a single-stage turbine sufficient? Is the use of a gearbox between fan and low pressure turbine useful?
The operating behavior of the gas generator of turbofans and turboshafts with more than one spool has much in common with that of a turbojet. It can be explained with a few simple considerations that are very useful for the practice of a gas turbine engineer.

Download an enhanced version of the material I presented at Turbo Expo 2024 here.