Aircraft Engine Types and Propulsion Systems | How Do They Work?

In this video, you'll see the different types of engines and propulsion systems used for aircraft, my favorite ones: Turbojet, turboprop, turboshaft, and turbofan. You'll also see the Ramjet engine.

I love the sound of a turbine starting up, the engineering involved, engines and propulsion systems for aircraft in general, and if you're here it's because you love that too. There are many ways an aircraft can be powered and pushed/pulled forward, starting with a conventional propeller aircraft that can be moved using a piston or turboprop engine, at the same time there are other ways like an electric motor, human-powered and even steam.

Content:
0:00 Intro
0:30 Piston Engines
2:38 Rocket Engines
2:45 Jet Engines
4:04 Turbofan
4:24 Turbojet
4:39 Turboprop
5:43 Turboshaft
5:59 Ramjet
7:15 Other Type of Propulsion Systems

About the SR71 Blackbird

#Joyplanes #Airplanes

[Joyplanes]

Corrections from Joexer (a subscriber)

1:28 When Running Properly, fuel in an aircraft cylinder engine should not explode; An explosion or detonation is a malfunction and is very damaging to the engine.


1:57 - 2:25 While you are correct about the cooling and aerodynamic aspects there is also a huge aspect of efficiency, ease of manufacturing, maintenance, "ideal conditions", power to weight, fuel and metallurgy technologies and even vibration certainly come into play.


2:29 Maximum speed is not the sole benefit of a different engine technology.


2:32 Rocket engines are actually more efficient in some ways than turbojet engines under the premise of speed per fuel and weight. It is more propulsively efficient because of its light weight and small size for the weight with a propulsive efficiency of about 70%.


2:47 Jet engines is a poor choice of words because a rocket engine is a kind of jet engine. You seem to have conflated it with turbine engine. A Jet engine is any kind of reaction engine, that discharges a fast moving stream of mass to generate thrust. A Rocket engine or even a Pump-jet, as may be found as propulsion on a boat are both jet engines. The aeolipile dating to around 150 BC was also a jet engine. A Turbine engine is merely one such kind of jet engine.


4:01 A Ramjet is not a turbine engine as it does not make use of a turbine for compression


4:32 Modern Fighter Jets do not use Turbojets, they use Low Bypass Turbofans which are the previously mentioned turbofans with less bypass. Its also not very powerful.


6:02 This is not accurate. A ramjet is only like a rocket in the sense that it is a Jet engine. Unlike a rocket a ramjet is airbreathing and uses relative wind to the aircraft to slow and compress the air, then, it adds fuel to and ignites. It cannot function like a rocket and does not have oxidizer. Ramjets also begin producing meaningful thrust around .5 Mach at sea level (384mph)

Also this misses a LOT of huge elements like, maintenance, economic factors (like fuel costs), distance, the mission requirement, aerodynamic drag, the limits on each kind of propulsion, other efficiencies, temperatures, density altitude, manned aviation concerns like pressurization, heat and time for the pilot, also you did not mention Lift, Bernoulli's, Otto cycle (Piston) or Brayton Cycle (Turbines) and perhaps greatest of all, The inevitable tradeoffs that result from anything that expends energy.

[purshaq]

The videos are amazing, very interesting and very easy to understand. I wish this video was made 5 years ago, because at that time I had a project about aeronautical technology museum for a college assignment. I think this video can really save my time.

[Stahlseil]

During the Second World War there was a test aircraft in Switzerland which was powered by a wood gasifier.
It was called AC-4 (HB-USI) and required 34kg of wood per flight hour. 😀
The aircraft still exists today and can be viewed in the Flab & Fliegermuseum in Dübendorf.

[Eikenhorst]

A very interesting type of piston engine used in aircraft for some time was the rotary engine, where the whole engine rotates and the crankshaft remains stationary. The Wankel engine has also been used in aircraft as a proof of concept.
The Pulse jet concept was also used in planes although again not very successfully.

[ImpendingJoker]

You didn't include the 5th type, the rotary radial, but you showed it on the front of the Sopwith saying they used this for cooling. Rotary-radial engines are quite different from radial engines, and should of had their own part and animation in this video.

[longov]

During WWII the Germans and Japanese experimented with Pulsejet engines as well but they were mostly used in explosive ordinance. There were some prototypes/ concepts using the Pulsejet and it is pretty interesting. Especially the Japansese Kamikaze jet.

[patricio]

The best video I have ever seen about aircraft propulsion system. Interesting, simple, easy to understand and concised yet detailed information.

[graphire]

very well organised and explained, love it. learned a lot, tnx dude! waiting for more educational content like this from you. cheers 🖖 by the way you made all this engine animations yourself?

[saturngaseousplanet]

Thank you very much for the Chinese subtitles, which has greatly helped the group with poor English and the high-quality popular science of aircraft engines!

[zenki]

I was wondering for a very long time about all this engine types... Thank you

[CSXIV]

I wanted to shout out the propfan: an experimental engine that could be described as a cross between a turbo fan and a turbo prop. It looked like a jet engine with propellers attached to the back. They ran a few experiments, but the advantages never emerged, and it was extremely loud.

[Tex-E]

Very nice video, fun, easy to follow, very interesting and information. This mans underrated.

[dmac]

Concerning the SR-71, at speeds above Mach 2.5, the spikes on the front of engine intake retract reducing airflow into the compressor and diverting it around to the exhaust where the afterburner ignites the fuel with it. I believe the process is gradual to prevent a flameout. At maximum speed the engines are operating as ramjets.

[ArunSinghR]

This video is very helpful. Thanks a lot. Can you please make a video which includes the questions that mostly asked during interview for an aircraft technican. I mean technical interview questions. That will be a great help for a lot of people.

[AaronCMounts]

One note about the turbojet / turbofan. Turbojets on mil aircraft were phased out in the 50s / 60s. All modern fighters use turbofan engines, just with different bypass ratios than the ones used on big planes.

[SidharthPriyadarsh]

This one is way more informative than I had thought. Thanks for greater understanding.

[addohm]

A quick note: the turbine section is generally considered a stage of a turbojet engine. Same with an afterburner if equipped.

[md.minhajuddinquraishi]

the video was so good 💯💯, i was looking for this kind of video only for my research works . loved it thank you very much for this video pls make more video like this .

[JeanLucCoulon]

There is also the pulsejet, like the one used in the German V1 during WWII. Basically it is a tube with a self-resonant combustion chamber.

[ningsihst.mt.]

thank you for the explanation, the explanation is very easy to understand and the animation is very good. I as a teaching teacher about aircraft have been greatly helped by the videos that you and your team made, I hope you and your team will continue to work for the world of education. let me also download and make teaching materials for my students. thank you