A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a

flow of combustion gas. It has an upstream compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a
combustion chamber in-between. (Gas turbine may also refer to just the turbine element.)
Energy is added to the gas stream in the combustor, where air is mixed with fuel and ignited.
ombustion increases the temperature, !elocity and !olume of the gas flow. "his is directed
through a no##le o!er the turbine$s blades, spinning the turbine and powering the compressor.
Energy is extracted in the form of shaft power, compressed air and thrust, in any combination,
and used to power aircraft, trains, ships, generators, and e!en tan%s.
Theory of operation
&as turbines are described thermodynamically by the 'rayton cycle, in which air is compressed
isentropically, combustion occurs at constant pressure, and expansion o!er the turbine occurs
isentropically bac% to the starting pressure.
In practice, friction and turbulence cause(
). non-isentropic compression( for a gi!en o!erall pressure ratio, the compressor deli!ery
temperature is higher than ideal.
*. non-isentropic expansion( although the turbine temperature drop necessary to dri!e the
compressor is unaffected, the associated pressure ratio is greater, which decreases the
expansion a!ailable to pro!ide useful wor%.
+. pressure losses in the air inta%e, combustor and exhaust( reduces the expansion a!ailable
to pro!ide useful wor%.
'rayton cycle
As with all cyclic heat engines, higher combustion temperature means greater efficiency. "he
limiting factor is the ability of the steel, nic%el, ceramic, or other materials that ma%e up the
engine to withstand heat and pressure. onsiderable engineering goes into %eeping the turbine
parts cool. ,ost turbines also try to reco!er exhaust heat, which otherwise is wasted energy.
-ecuperators are heat exchangers that pass exhaust heat to the compressed air, prior to
combustion. ombined cycle designs pass waste heat to steam turbine systems. And combined
heat and power (co-generation) uses waste heat for hot water production.
,echanically, gas turbines can be considerably less complex than internal combustion piston
engines. .imple turbines might ha!e one mo!ing part( the shaft/compressor/turbine/alternati!e-
rotor assembly (see image abo!e), not counting the fuel system. 0owe!er, the re1uired precision
manufacturing for components and temperature resistant alloys necessary for high efficiency
often ma%e the construction of a simple turbine more complicated than piston engines.
,ore sophisticated turbines (such as those found in modern jet engines) may ha!e multiple
shafts (spools), hundreds of turbine blades, mo!able stator blades, and a !ast system of complex
piping, combustors and heat exchangers.
As a general rule, the smaller the engine the higher the rotation rate of the shaft(s) needs to be to
maintain top speed. "urbine blade top speed determines the maximum pressure that can be
gained,this produces the maximum power possible independent of the si#e of the engine. 2et
engines operate around )3,333 rpm and micro turbines around )33,333 rpm.
"hrust bearings and journal bearings are a critical part of design. "raditionally, they ha!e been
hydrodynamic oil bearings, or oil-cooled ball bearings. "hese bearings are being surpassed by
foil bearings, which ha!e been successfully used in micro turbines and auxiliary power units.
Types of gas turbines
Aeroderivatives and jet engines
4iagram of a gas turbine jet engine
Airbreathing jet engines are gas turbines optimi#ed to produce thrust from the exhaust gases, or
from ducted fans connected to the gas turbines. 2et engines that produce thrust primarily from the
direct impulse of exhaust gases are often called turbojets, whereas those that generate most of
their thrust from the action of a ducted fan are often called turbofans or (rarely) fan-jets.
&as turbines are also used in many li1uid propellant roc%ets, the gas turbines are used to power a
turbopump to permit the use of lightweight, low pressure tan%s, which sa!es considerable dry
mass.
Aeroderi!ati!es are also used in electrical power generation due to their ability to startup, shut
down, and handle load changes more 1uic%ly than industrial machines. "hey are also used in the
marine industry to reduce weight. "he &E 5,*633 and 5,7333 are two common models of this
type of machine.
Amateur gas turbines
Increasing numbers of gas turbines are being used or e!en constructed by amateurs.
In its most straightforward form, these are commercial turbines ac1uired through military surplus
or scrapyard sales, then operated for display as part of the hobby of engine collecting.
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In its
most extreme form, amateurs ha!e e!en rebuilt engines beyond professional repair and then used
them to compete for the 5and .peed -ecord.
"he simplest form of self-constructed gas turbine employs an automoti!e turbocharger as the
core component. A combustion chamber is fabricated and plumbed between the compressor and
turbine sections.
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,ore sophisticated turbojets are also built, where their thrust and light weight are sufficient to
power large model aircraft.
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"he .chrec%ling design
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constructs the entire engine from raw
materials, including the fabrication of a centrifugal compressor wheel from plywood, epoxy and
wrapped carbon fibre strands.
5i%e many technology based hobbies, they tend to gi!e rise to manufacturing businesses o!er
time. .e!eral small companies now manufacture small turbines and parts for the amateur. ,ost
turbojet-powered model aircraft are now using these commercial and semi-commercial
microturbines, rather than a .chrec%ling-li%e home-build.
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Industrial gas turbines for electrical generation
Industrial gas turbines differ from aeroderi!ati!e in that the frames, bearings, and blading is of
hea!ier construction. Industrial gas turbines range in si#e from truc%-mounted mobile plants to
enormous, complex systems.
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"hey can be particularly efficient;up to 73<;when
waste heat from the gas turbine is reco!ered by a heat reco!ery steam generator to power a
con!entional steam turbine in a combined cycle configuration.
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"hey can also be run in a
cogeneration configuration( the exhaust is used for space or water heating, or dri!es an
absorption chiller for cooling or refrigeration. .uch engines re1uire a dedicated enclosure, both
to protect the engine from the elements and the operators from the noise.
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"he construction process for gas turbines can ta%e as little as se!eral wee%s to a few months,
compared to years for base load power plants.
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"heir other main ad!antage is the ability
to be turned on and off within minutes, supplying power during pea% demand. 'ecause they are
less efficient than combined cycle plants, they are usually used as pea%ing power plants, which
operate anywhere from se!eral hours per day to a few do#en hours per year, depending on the
electricity demand and the generating capacity of the region. In areas with a shortage of base
load and load following power plant capacity, a gas turbine power plant may regularly operate
during most hours of the day and e!en into the e!ening. A typical large single-cycle gas turbine
may produce )33 to +33 megawatts of power and ha!e +6>:3< thermal efficiency.
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"he most efficient single-cycle turbines ha!e reached :3< efficiency. ?ombined-cycle power
plants, in which exhaust heat from a gas turbine dri!ing an electrical generator is used to ma%e
steam to power a separate 8steam9 turbine dri!ing yet another electrical generator, can see
efficiencies as high as 6@ percent.?
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Radial gas turbines
In )A7+, 2an ,owill initiated the de!elopment at Bongsberg CDpenfabri%% in Eorway. Carious
successors ha!e made good progress in the refinement of this mechanism. Fwing to a
configuration that %eeps heat away from certain bearings the durability of the machine is
impro!ed while the radial turbine is well matched in speed re1uirement.
Scale jet engines
Also %nown as miniature gas turbines or micro-jets.
Gith this in mind the pioneer of modern ,icro-2ets, Burt .chrec%ling, produced one of the
world$s first ,icro-"urbines, the H4+/7=.
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"his engine can produce up to ** newtons of thrust,
and can be built by most mechanically minded people with basic engineering tools, such as a
metal lathe.
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Gas turbines in vehicles
&as turbines are often used on ships, locomoti!es, helicopters, tan%s, and to a lesser extent, on
cars, buses, and motorcycles.
A %ey ad!antage of jets and turboprops for aeroplane propulsion - their superior performance at
high altitude compared to piston engines, particularly naturally-aspirated ones - is irrele!ant in
automobile applications. "heir power-to-weight ad!antage is far more important.
&as turbines offer a high-powered engine in a !ery small and light pac%age. 0owe!er, they are
not as responsi!e and efficient as small piston engines o!er the wide range of -I,s and powers
needed in !ehicle applications. In series hybrid !ehicles, as the dri!ing electric motors are
mechanically detached from the electricity generating engine, the responsi!eness problem is
eliminated when using a gas turbine to turn the generator as it is run at the optimum speed. "he
emergence of the continuously !ariable transmission may also alle!iate the responsi!eness
problem.
"urbines ha!e historically been more expensi!e to produce than piston engines, though this is
partly because piston engines ha!e been mass-produced in huge 1uantities for decades, while
small gas turbine engines are raritiesJ howe!er, turbines are mass produced in the closely-related
form of the turbocharger.
Advantages and disadvantages of gas turbine engines
Cery high power-to-weight ratio, compared to reciprocating enginesJ
.maller than most reciprocating engines of the same power rating.
,o!es in one direction only, with far less !ibration than a reciprocating engine.
Hewer mo!ing parts than reciprocating engines.
5ow operating pressures.
0igh operation speeds.
5ow lubricating oil cost and consumption.
Disadvantages of gas turbine engines
ost
5ess efficient than reciprocating engines at idle.