Formula for calculating turbo jet thrust?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the calculation of thrust for a remote control turbojet engine, exploring various theoretical and practical aspects of engine design, including the potential for electric operation and the use of ram air. Participants share formulae, design ideas, and challenges related to thrust generation and engine efficiency.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks formulae for calculating thrust based on intake and exhaust areas and pressure increase.
  • Another participant proposes the idea of using an A/C generator attached to the turbine shaft to run the engine without combustion, questioning the feasibility of using ram air to replace the combustion chamber.
  • A response highlights the need for mass flow rate and velocity data to calculate thrust, presenting a formula based on momentum change.
  • Concerns are raised about the practicality of using ram air in place of a combustion chamber, with a suggestion that ram air is more applicable in ramjets rather than turbojets.
  • Discussion includes the idea of cooling electrical systems to reduce resistance, though skepticism about its practicality is expressed.
  • Another participant shares a concept involving electric motors and turbines, questioning how high pressure can be achieved after a turbine while expecting a temperature drop.
  • Further ideas are presented about utilizing Tesla units and high-speed ducted fans to enhance thrust through thermal energy extraction.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various viewpoints on the feasibility of electric operation and the use of ram air, with no consensus reached on the effectiveness of these ideas. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to calculating thrust and the practicality of proposed designs.

Contextual Notes

Participants note limitations in available data, such as mass flow rates and velocities, which are crucial for accurate thrust calculations. There are also unresolved questions about the implications of using ram air and the dynamics of electric motor integration.

monkeyc
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Can anyone tell me some formulae that i can use for finding the thrust in a remote control turbojet engine if the area of the intake is 196.35cm square and the exhaust is 78.5cm square and the pressure increases by 31 times?
 
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This is just an add on, if i was to make an A/C generator and attach it to the turbine shaft, is it possible that i can run the whole thing without combustion off the gen? I also was wondering if i could use ram air to increase pressure in the middle to replace the combustion chamber and also cool the electrical system to reduce resistance. Could any of this work?
 
Welcome to PF, Monkey.
I can't help you with this, but the main problem that I see is that your question is not worded in such a way that anyone could properly respond. We seem to have a serious language gap. Can you please back it up and restate the situation one step at a time so that we might understand what you need?
 
hey thanks, umm, I am am designing an R/C plane with a turbofan engine, however i was hoping to make the engine completely electronic so that i don't waste all my money on fuel. The problem is that i don't know the formulae to find out if it can produce enough thrust to move.
 
Unfortunately, the information you have is not sufficient to calculate the thrust. The "easiest" way is to know the mass flow rate of the air and the inlet and exit velocities. If you can work those out, the basic physics is the change in momentum of the air stream which is (assuming no bleeds and that the mass flow of the fuel is negligible compared to the airflow):

T = \dot{m} \left[u_e - u_i \right]

where

T = thrust
\dot{m} = mass flow rate of air
u_e = exit velocity of the airstream
u_i = inlet velocity or forward velocity of the aircraft (static condition = 0)

If you can't get a handle on those figures, then it gets harrier because then we'd have to basically walk from the front of the engine to the end doing the cycle calculations to arrive at the final answer. It's not horrible, but that just means that there are a lot more variables that you probably will not know so you'll have to guess.
 
Last edited:
monkeyc said:
if i was to make an A/C generator and attach it to the turbine shaft, is it possible that i can run the whole thing without combustion off the gen?
Yes. If you put it up in the very front of the engine where the temperatures are low. However, you will have a very fast shaft speed which will mean you will have to do some very precise shaft dynamics work to make sure you keep everything properly balanced and don't throw in anything like unexpected shaft bending modes.

monkeyc said:
I also was wondering if i could use ram air to increase pressure in the middle to replace the combustion chamber and also cool the electrical system to reduce resistance. Could any of this work?
Ram air can not replace the combustion chamber. Ram air, in a ramjet, replaces the compressor section of a turbojet, but there is still a burner. I am not certain on what you are getting at for doing that. If you can explain what you're thinking that may help here.

Cooling the electrical system to reduce resistance is doable, but is it really worth the headaches? I doubt the return on the penalty for pulling air out of the engine cycle would be worth the gains in lowered resistance.
 
FredGarvin said:
it gets harrier

Spoken like a true pilot. :smile:
Did you do that on purpose, or did you mean to type 'hairier'?
 
Sound a little like one of my wild Arse ideas involving two or more electric motors, counter rotation of the moving parts, air flow diverted thru a turbine, and reduced in thermal value, exausted out the back in a very cold, hi pressure condition.:biggrin::mad:

I'm trying to piece together a small wind tunnel, for some experimenting.
Hope to see some comments to the OP, and see if were in tune.


________
 
Danger said:
Spoken like a true pilot. :smile:
Did you do that on purpose, or did you mean to type 'hairier'?
Whoops. I did do that, didn't I. I am a horrible speller at times. It gets worse with age.
 
  • #10
RonL said:
Sound a little like one of my wild Arse ideas involving two or more electric motors, counter rotation of the moving parts, air flow diverted thru a turbine, and reduced in thermal value, exausted out the back in a very cold, hi pressure condition.:biggrin::mad:

I'm trying to piece together a small wind tunnel, for some experimenting.
Hope to see some comments to the OP, and see if were in tune.


________
How can you get high pressure after going through a turbine and expect a temperature drop? I'd say you were on a good track if you said send high pressure air through a turbine and come out expanded and thus much lower temperature. That's exactly how a air cycle machines work on major aircraft. I remember testing a unit used on an F-16 that kicked serious butt. It would freeze up if you let it.
 
  • #11
FredGarvin said:
How can you get high pressure after going through a turbine and expect a temperature drop? I'd say you were on a good track if you said send high pressure air through a turbine and come out expanded and thus much lower temperature. That's exactly how a air cycle machines work on major aircraft. I remember testing a unit used on an F-16 that kicked serious butt. It would freeze up if you let it.

My thoughts are along the design of a pair of Tesla units, counter rotating, and having a high speed ducted fan system pulling a low pressure (vacuum?) at the central exhaust of the Tesla units, and excelerating it out the discharge as a cold thrust.
The electric motors act as both motor/generator and are aided by the turbine units, one for the field group, and one for the armature group. Fast cycle times from motor to generator keep the efficiency at a high level.
The faster it flys the more energy transformed thru the turbines.

I might not have said it right, but it all boils down to how much thermal energy can be extracted from a high volume of air moving thru the system. (A lot of leverage both electric, and thermal):eek: did i just say all that

<<Looking for a place to hide>>
 
  • #12
FredGarvin said:
I am a horrible speller at times.

As typos go, that one was brilliantly appropriate.
 
  • #13
FredGarvin said:
T = \dot{m} \left[u_e - u_i \right]

where

T = thrust
\dot{m} = mass flow rate of air
u_e = exit velocity of the airstream
u_i = inlet velocity or forward velocity of the aircraft (static condition = 0)


thank you heaps Fred.
 

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