Tuesday, April 17, 2018

A General Guide On Aircraft Engine Accessories

By Paul Robinson


An aircraft engine is a mechanical component used by planes to produce a thrust force. A plane can stay in the air due to four forces. These are drag, thrust, lift and gravity. A balance of these forces is necessary to keep the craft in the air. The thrust force gets produced by the plane and part of it is used to provide lift. The following is a general guide on aircraft engine accessories.

The earliest engines to be used were the piston or reciprocating combustion engines. They were relatively heavy and bigger. With more research, better designs were made which led to the birth of jet engines. These weighed way less and were capable of producing even more power. The research has progressively grown over time with much better options being made available for different flight conditions.

Some examples are the electric engines, ramjets, rockets, Wankel and the radial piston power sources. Each type has unique properties that allow its use for different situations. In the aviation world, the target is to be able to fly over longer distances while economizing on the use of fuel. Research and studies have helped in producing some of the most sophisticated engines. This is by redesigning the accessories to improve their standards and effectiveness.

Turbojets and turboprops are grouped under reaction engines. Their cycle begins at the air inlet where the air is inhaled and compressed through multistage compressors. The inlet duct is an essential accessory that optimizes the air flow to prevent energy losses. After compression, the air is combined with fuel and delivered to the combustion zone. This is assisted through the use of pipes and carburetors. A spark plug or burner ignites the mixture to give out streams of gases.

Whether it is a turboprop or a turbojet, both engines have the same internal configuration. There are three regions which are the compressors, combustors and turbines. The only difference is that a turboprop uses rotors and propellers to produce the driving force while a turbojet uses the exhaust gas streams to create the thrust. Various systems assist in controlling the functioning of the components. For instance, the fuel and ignition systems.

The first zone, namely the compressors, is where air from the atmosphere is drawn in. It is then compressed using a multistage compressor that is made of rotating blades mounted on the axial shaft. A duct at the entrance ensures smooth air flow. The compressors receive power from the turbines through the axial shaft. The compressed air is passed to the combustors where it is mixed with fuel and ignited continuously and passed to the turbines.

Mixing air and fuel requires pumps and injectors. The ignition system also has its unique accessories. The expansion process that takes place inside the turbine is very important as it uses some energy to power the engine and the rest for thrust. These means that the turbines have their accessories such as afterburners, nozzles, sensors and manifolds.

These accessories are classified into the following categories. These are the alternator, carburetor, controllers, engine mounts, fuel system, ignition kits, filters and drain systems, starters, spark plugs, turbochargers and pumps.




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