Beginner's+Guide+to+Propulsion

How do jet engines work? Why are there different kinds of jet engines? + [|Index] + [|EngineSim Interactive Simulator] + [|RangeGame Interactive Simulator] + [|GasLab Interactive Animations] ||
 * [[image:http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/images/engine.gif width="110" height="69" caption="Image of Jet Engine"]] || **[|Beginner's Guide to Propulsion] ** 

A general derivation of the [|thrust equation] shows that the amount of thrust generated depends on the mass flow through the engine and the exit velocity of the gas. Different propulsion systems generate thrust in slightly different ways. We will discuss four principal propulsion systems: the [|propeller,] the [|turbine (or jet)] engine, the [|ramjet,] and the [|rocket.] Why are there different types of engines? If we think about Newton's [|first law] of motion, we realize that an airplane propulsion system must serve two purposes. First, the thrust from the propulsion system must [|balance] the drag of the airplane when the airplane is cruising. And second, the thrust from the propulsion system must [|exceed] the drag of the airplane for the airplane to accelerate. In fact, the greater the difference between the thrust and the drag, called the [|excess thrust], the faster the airplane will accelerate. Some aircraft, like airliners and cargo planes, spend most of their life in a cruise condition. For these airplanes, excess thrust is not as important as high engine efficiency and low [|fuel usage.] Since thrust depends on both the amount of gas moved and the velocity, we can generate high thrust by accelerating a large mass of gas by a small amount, or by accelerating a small mass of gas by a large amount. Because of the aerodynamic efficiency of [|propellers] and [|fans,] it is more fuel efficient to accelerate a large mass by a small amount. That is why we find high bypass fans and turboprops on cargo planes and airliners. Some aircraft, like fighter planes or experimental high speed aircraft, require very high excess thrust to accelerate quickly and to overcome the high drag associated with high speeds. For these airplanes, engine efficiency is not as important as very high thrust. Modern military aircraft typically employ [|afterburners] on a low bypass turbofan core. Future hypersonic aircraft will employ some type of [|ramjet] or [|rocket propulsion.] The site was prepared at NASA Glenn by the Learning Technologies Project (LTP) to provide **background information** on basic propulsion for secondary **math and science teachers**. The pages were originally prepared as **teaching aids** to support [|EngineSim], an interactive educational computer program that allows students to design and test jet engines on a personal computer. Other slides were prepared to support LTP videoconferencing [|workshops] (http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/CoE/Coemain.html) for teachers and students. And other slides were prepared as part of [|Power Point Presentations] for the [|Digital Learning Network].  There is a special section of the Beginner's Guide which deals with [|compressible], or high speed, aerodynamics. This section is intended for **undergraduates** who are studying [|shock waves] or [|isentropic flows] and contains several [|calculators and simulators] for that flow regime.  We have intentionally organized this site to mirror the unstructured nature of the world wide web. There are [|many pages] here connected to one another through hyperlinks. You can then navigate through the links based on your own interest and inquiry. However, if you prefer a more structured approach, you can also take one of our [|Guided Tours] through the site. Each tour provides a sequence of pages dealing with some aspect of propulsion.  **NOTICE --- The site has recently been modified to support Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Many of the pages contain mathematical equations which have been produced graphically and which are too long or complex to provide in an "ALT" tag. For these pages, we have retained the (non-compliant) graphical page and have provided a separate (compliant) text only page which contains all of the information of the original page. The two pages are connected through hyperlinks.** ||
 * **//Welcome to the Beginner's Guide to Propulsion//** ||  ||   ||
 * ||  |||| [[image:http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/Animation/turbpar/Images/engrun.gif width="301" height="189" align="right" caption="image of jet engine"]] ||   ||
 *  What is propulsion? The word is derived from two Latin words: **//pro//** meaning before or forwards and **//pellere//** meaning to drive. **Propulsion** means to push forward or drive an object forward. A propulsion system is a machine that produces [|thrust] to push an object forward. On airplanes, thrust is usually generated through some application of Newton's [|third law]of action and reaction. A gas, or **working fluid**, is accelerated by the engine, and the reaction to this acceleration produces a force on the engine. ||  ||^   ||^   ||   ||