Taurus 60

• Gas Turbine engine is a

type of internal
combustion engine that
produces rotational shaft
horsepower.

Essentially, the engine can

be viewed as an energy
conversion device where
stored chemical energy in
the fuel is converted to
useful mechanical energy.
 Engine Lesson Objectives
• Upon completion of this
lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain how the engine

uses air to produce power

• State the horsepower

rating of the Taurus 60
Engine

• Explain what is meant by

“Cold End Drive Unit”
 Internal Engine Processes
• The term “gas” refers to the
large quantities of atmospheric
air taken into the engine and is
used as the working medium to
produce useful energy.

Air is first drawn into the

engine where it is compressed,
mixed with fuel, and ignited.
The hot gases expand through a
series of airfoil-shaped blades
that capture the released energy
and convert it into rotational
horsepower.

In some applications, the

exhaust gas is also harnessed
for its valuable thermal energy.
 Engine Horsepower Rating
• The engine is capable of
producing approximately 7,375
shaft horsepower (5500 kW)
under ISO conditions
• ISO Conditions
The following are ISO
Conditions:

-Sea level (atm pressure of 14.7

psig)
-Ambient temperature 80 deg F
-60% relative humidity
-Zero inlet and exhaust losses
(no air flow restrictions)
 Cold End Drive Unit
• This engine is often
referred to as a cold end
drive unit – meaning the
output drive shaft extends
out the air intake end of
the engine as opposed to
the hotter exhaust end.

For this application, a

speed reduction gearbox is
attached to the forward
end of the engine just
before connecting to the
generator.
 REVIEW
• What is meant by the term “Cold End
Drive”?(The generator is driven off the cold
end of the engine.)
• What is the horsepower rating of the Taurus 60
Turbine Engine under ISO conditions?(7,375
hp)
• What are the four processes the air must
undergo to produce the output
power?(compression, combustion, expansion,
exhaust)
 Engine Theory Lesson Objectives
• Upon completion of this lesson,
you will be able to:

• Explain in basic terms what

pressure is

• Describe the effect temperature has

on the air within the turbine engine

• Describe the relationship between

air velocity and pressure

• Explain how the airfoil shape

creates “lift”

• State the four processes the engine

uses to create horsepower and
identify where each is occurring
 How the Turbine Uses Air
• Since atmospheric air or gas is the primary
ingredient enabling the turbine engine to
produce power, let's take a closer look at
some useful properties of air.

Understanding these basic properties will

help us monitor the engine’s condition and
maintain it at its optimum performance
level.
 Air Pressure
• The air around us is
actually comprised of
many individual air
molecules. These
molecules have the
ability to spread out or
bunch up depending
on the external forces
imposed on them.
 Force & Pressure
• If we add more air molecules to a sealed
container, the molecules begin to compact.
As this continues, the air molecules will
eventually exert force on the container
walls.

This force is known as pressure and can be

thought of as a way to express or “count”
the number of air molecules.
 Air Velocity
• The ability for air to move or flow is also
an important property. Moving air can be
harnessed to create useful energy. Air can
be set in motion by a variety of means.

If it has been compacted or pressurized,

simply creating an opening in the container
will cause the molecules to flow outward
toward the lower pressure area.
 Heat
• Adding heat is another way to set air
molecules in motion. In fact, HEAT is
defined as “the measure of molecular
motion”.
 Heat Transfer Example
• Let’s take a moment to analyze how
heat can affect the molecular motion of
water molecules.

If we start out with water in its liquid

state, and we cool it enough, the
molecules will slow their movement
until they form a solid – ice.

As we add heat to the ice, it re-forms

into flowing molecules of the liquid. As
more heat is added, the liquid will begin
to boil and form water vapor or steam.
The molecules in the steam are rapidly
moving due to its thermal or heated
condition.

Temperature then, can be thought of as

“how fast” molecules are moving.
 Pressure vs. Velocity
• The speed or velocity of moving air molecules is also
important in creating useful work. Let’s take a look at a
very important fact about air. It has to do with the
relationship between pressure and velocity.

Pressure and velocity are said to be inversely related.

What this means is, as the air’s velocity decreases, its
pressure will rise.

Conversely, when the air’s velocity increases, its

pressure will drop. Let’s now see how this extremely
important relationship can be used to create useful work.
 Airfoil - Side View
• As we look closely at a cross-
sectional view of an airplane
wing, we see that it has a
distinct curve on the upper side
while the lower side is
relatively flat – this is known as
the airfoil shape.

The airfoil has been designed to

take advantage of the inverse
relationship between air
pressure and its velocity.
 Airfoil - Low Pressure
• As air moves across the airfoil,
the molecules flowing over the
curved surface must move over
a greater distance than those
molecules flowing over the flat
surface.

The molecules flowing over a

greater distance must do so at a
faster rate of flow or increased
velocity. Since the air’s velocity
is greater over the curved
surface, the pressure there will
be reduced.
 Airfoil Lift
• The lower pressure area
must be filled with
something since a vacuum
is not a natural condition.

The high velocity air is

passing by too quickly to
fill the lower pressure
zone so the only thing left
to fill the area is the airfoil
itself. This “lift” is what
makes airplanes climb into
the sky and overcome the
force of gravity.
 Airfoil Pressure Differential
• The air pressure below is
undisturbed and therefore
at “normal” atmospheric
pressure.

The air pressure on top is

lowered by the rushing air
over the curved surface.
The result is an upward
lift - or useful work if we
harness it correctly!!
 Airfoil Experiment
Still skeptical?
• Try this simple experiment:
Fold a small piece of paper in
half and tape the lower half
about 1/2 inch from the edge of
the upper half. This makes the
top surface curved like a
wing. Slide a ruler into the fold
of the paper wing. With your
lips about an inch away, blow a
stream of air over the upper
curved surface of the wing.

Observe the results. What

happens when you blow harder
- with more velocity?
 Turbine Airfoil Blades
• Let’s now apply the airfoil concept to the turbine
engine. Take that same piece of paper in its curved
or airfoil shape and turn it on its side.

Now imagine a series of these airfoils attached to

a round disk or wheel. You have just created a
turbine wheel that can extract energy from the
high velocity gases and convert it into rotational
horsepower!
 Pressure & Velocity Applied
• So how does a gas turbine create the
high velocity airflow?

Well, let’s take a closer look at the

engines internal sections and describe
how the basic process works.

The engine is comprised of four major

subsections:

• Compressor

• Combustor

• Turbine

• Exhaust
 Compression
• The compressor’s function
is to pack air molecules
into the engine.

Remember, since the air

molecules are the
“workers” that make the
horsepower, it stands to
reason that the more
“workers” we have the
more work will get done.
 Combustion
• The combustor’s function
is to get those “worker
molecules” moving very
fast (high velocity) by
burning the fuel to add
heat or molecular motion.

The faster the air moves

across the curved surfaces,
the greater the “lift” and
the more horsepower
created
 Expansion
• The turbine section
contains the turbine
rotor assemblies
comprised of many
airfoils that convert
high velocity gases
into useful rotation
energy
 Exhaust
• And finally, the
exhaust section directs
the spent hot gases out
of the engine so that
more fresh air can
enter the intake and
sustain the continuous
operation.
 Brayton Cycle Review
• These four primary functions of the
engine’s subsections coincide with
the “Brayton Cycle” which
describes the basic processes
occurring in all internal combustion
engines:

• Compression

• Combustion

• Expansion

• Exhaust
• Click on each term in the graphic to
the right for additonal information.
 Continuous Power
• Gas turbine engines are noted
for their ability to create large
amounts of horsepower from
their relatively small compact
design. This is due in part to the
four processes occurring in a
gas turbine engine continuously
vs. intermittently like that of a
four-stroke engine.

Since the processes are

continuous, the power is always
available and less harmful
vibration is produced as
compared to a reciprocating
engine with pistons