Jet engine

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/jet-engine

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary thermodynamic cycle?Brayton cycle
2. What is the typical turbine inlet temperature?Around 1500-1700 Kelvin
3. How does a jet engine make an airplane move?The engine takes in air, squeezes it with a compressor, mixes it with fuel and burns it, then the hot gases spin a turbine that turns the compressor again and finally rush out the back, pushing the airplane forward.
4. Why do modern jet engines have a big fan at the front?The big fan moves a lot of air around the core engine, which makes the engine use less fuel and makes it quieter, so it is better for commercial planes.

Bypass Ratio: The ratio of air that flows around the engine core to the air that flows through it.
Turbofan Engine: A jet engine with a large fan at the front that bypasses air around the core.
Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC): A measure of how efficiently an engine uses fuel to produce thrust.