EUROPE LATIN AMERICA MIDDLE EAST Aircraft propulsion systems NORTH AMERICA Propellers are the most representative symbol of aerial propulsion. aertecsolutions.com An aircraft’s propulsion system is directly related to They are made up of a variable number of blades which, when rotating the tasks and objectives it carries out around a shaft, generate a propulsive force. Aeronautical milestones Internal combustion engine Reaction engines Rocket engine Other aeronautical Up until the Second World War, the only propulsion system Reaction engines operate by taking air from outside through Rocket engines generate thrust by expelling gases from propulsion systems Did you know...? used in aircraft was internal combustion engines. The a diffuser, compressing it in the compressor, passing it the combustion chamber into the atmosphere. They technique they employ consists of transmitting the power through a combustion chamber mixed with fuel, and burning combine both the fuel and a comburent (oxidiser). These Electric motor 1785 obtained from a reciprocating engine to a rotating shaft. it to raise the pressure and temperature. It then passes are the most powerful types of engine known, and their Their main Jean Pierre Blanchard The shaft is solidly attached to a propeller that is ultimately through a turbine, where the pressure and temperature are weight/power ratio makes them ideal for use in spacecraft. components are the crossed the English responsible for propulsion, as its rotational movement reduced in exchange for mechanical power to drive the battery, controller, Channel in a balloon that generates thrust in the required direction. compressor. The air is expelled at high speed through the Solid motor and rotor. used flapping wings as a nozzle in the opposite direction to the aircraft’s movement. propellant They generate torque propulsion mechanism and Two-stroke engine Four-stroke engine These rockets have an that is proportional had a rudder shaped like Air-cooled or liquid-cooled These engines have a engine that uses a solid to the supply voltage. a bird’s tail. This is the first With a compressor Without a compressor (heavier) engines, with no specific cooling system. propellant (reducing and They have almost record of a propelled flight. lubrication requirements The lubrication system (oil) oxidising agents). They no moving parts, Solar Impulse Turboprop Ramjet Electric motor thrust, drag, lift and weight (oil and fuel are mixed). is separate, which reduces consist of a casing, which increases their They are used for RPAS exhaust emissions. Low speeds (<<M=1) Very high speeds (>>M=1) nozzle, grain (propellant operating tolerance and light aircraft. and high efficiency and very inefficient charge), and igniter. at higher revolutions, This is a turbojet engine Reaction engine with no Their major advantage is and they are more Ion drive with a coupled propeller compressors or turbines. constant availability, short efficient than other Ion drive is a type of Douglas DC3 (with speed reducers), The air is compressed by start-up time, and easy types of engines. propulsion that uses which rotates thanks to the the geometry of the engine, transport and storage. Wernher von Brown Their disadvantage beams of ions (electrically next to the F-1 rocket turbine’s excess power. passing to the combustion Their drawback is the is their low energy charged molecules or engines on Saturn V The propeller generates chamber and then to the inability to control the storage capacity. atoms) for propulsion. 1852 traction and increases exit nozzle, where it is thrust (or even turn it off) The general working Henri Giffard was thrust. expelled at high speed. before the fuel has been Hybrid principle involves the use the first person to carry out Flight depends on the balance of four forces: Flight depends on the balance of four forces: Fuel cells completely consumed. of the charge/mass ratio a powered flight. He flew 27 propellant These are electrochemical Turbofan Pulsejet of ions to accelerate them km in a dirigible powered These have a solid devices in which a Medium speeds (<M=1) Very high speeds (>>M=1) Liquid to very high speeds using by a steam engine. propellant in the continuous flow of fuel and high efficiency and very inefficient propellant an electric field. combustion chamber, and and an oxidising agent This is a variant of the The air is mixed with the Liquid propellant engines have another propellant undergoes a controlled The DC3 had an internal combustion engine, and turbojet that has a fan fuel by means of valves and have an oxidiser and a Solar sail revolutionised passenger transport in the 1930s and 1940s. (liquid or gas) added for chemical reaction, incorporated into the injectors and passes into liquid reducing agent combustion. supplying an electrical This system captures engine. Its function is the combustion chamber, (e.g. liquid oxygen or current to an external thrust produced by similar to that of the where combustion occurs hydrogen). With the Thermal rocket circuit. Typically used sources external to the propeller: increasing thrust. in on/off pulses. correct injection of fuel engine fuels include molecular aircraft, meaning there is into the combustion These engines have hydrogen and methane, no need to carry either TARSIS 75 Turbojet chamber, it is possible to an inert propellant that using oxygen as an an engine or fuel. Photon Fixed-wing High speeds (>M=1) control the engine thrust. is heated with a non- oxidising agent. The sails take advantage of RPAS often use and inefficient chemical energy source electrochemical process solar radiation pressure to 1903 reciprocating This is one of the (solar, nuclear or radiation). that takes place is highly gain propulsion. Plasma The Wright brothers were engines simplest turbine efficient and has minimal sails intercept solar wind the first to fly in a heavier- engines, consisting environmental impact. plasma to gain propulsion. than-air aircraft, powered of a compressor, by a combustion engine. infographics combustion chamber, turbine and nozzle. Heinkel He 178 (1939) JULY 2015 The turbine is located in First jet aircraft the gas expansion zone The Airbus E-FAN and uses part of the power crossed the English output of the gases to Channel (74 km) drive the compressor. in 34 minutes J-2 rocket engine on Saturn V Download & Share! www.aertecsolutions.com/ De Havilland Comet (1952) First passenger jet aircraft Source: AERTEC Solutions. The contents of this document are intellectual property of AERTEC Solutions. Any copy or diffusion is allowed as long as the entire document is used, with the AERTEC Solutions logo being included at all times. .