Have you ever wanted to build your own jet engine? YouTuber Integza may have the answer. He used a leaf blower and some common parts to construct one.
Step one is acquiring a turbo, an automotive component commonly mounted to an exhaust manifold to restore power from your engine.
Intake
Air intakes are an integral component of an aircraft engine, providing air needed to power its various subsystems such as turbine cooling, bearing cavity sealing, and anti-icing for thrust bearings.
Intakes tend to align closely with the engine axis; this is true on most combat jets as well as some commercial aircraft.
A turbo is at the center of any jet engine, compressing air and extracting energy that can be used to generate thrust. This process occurs via a combination of fan, compressor and turbine components.
As soon as gas enters the combustion chamber, it mixes with fuel to generate heat and exits through a turbine stage – spinning its shaft to convert thermal energy to rotational energy that can power another compressor attached to one end of an exhaust manifold.
As an aside, this home-built jet engine uses a 3D printed turbine. Not only is this an enjoyable project to complete, but its usefulness extends far beyond fun-factor – the plastic won’t melt under high temperatures found within an actual turbine allowing you to use this one instead!
At first, creating your homemade jet engine starts by finding an appropriate turbo. After finding one at any hardware store, assemble all the parts together and test whether they fit properly before mounting your combustor housing and turbine flange onto it; once all this is in place, connect injector caps and end caps as appropriate.
Compressor
The compressor is the central element of a turbo engine. It operates by compressing air entering into it to a high pressure before forcing it into the combustion chamber for use in combustion.
Compressing air increases its density and energy potential, helping engines produce more torque.
To do this, the compressor utilizes multiple fans with blades attached to shafts that drive air directly into it, while blades squeeze and direct it towards smaller areas within.
Dependent upon its design, compressor housing’s cross section typically starts off small and increases gradually towards its outlet to compress air more efficiently and increase adiabatic efficiency – this process also known as increasing efficiency by means of compression.
Additionally, various designs incorporate features to help the compressor manage air efficiently while emitting less heat into it. This increases adiabatic efficiency while decreasing additional heat that enters charge air to make engines run more efficiently.
As air flows through the converging passages of a compressor wheel, it is accelerated to very high velocity near its edge. From here, this air exits tangentially towards its diffuser section where it enters and expands further.
A diffuser is designed to allow air into the inlet of a turbine wheel while at the same time keeping any hot air out of its discharge. An intercooler then removes excess heat from this air source.
Combustion
Subverting a turbocharger into a jet engine may seem daunting at first, but once completed the outcome can be powerful homemade device controlled with an electric motor. But make sure that any steps necessary for safety are taken prior to beginning this endeavor and employ common sense when working around machines.
Essentially, a jet engine consists of a turbine which harvests energy from hot gas in order to power a compressor that brings in fresh air for combustion.
A turbocharger resembles the turbine found in jet engines in that both contain multiple aerofoil-shaped blades that spin as hot gases from the combustor expand through its turbine.
The turbine blades serve two key functions: they drive the compressor to add more pressurized air to the combustion chamber, as well as turning a generator that creates electricity. Furthermore, each blade includes internal cooling passages to allow air from the compressor to pass through it when its gasses leave the turbine and reduce metal temperature.
Fuel burned in air is converted into heat that is absorbed by cooled blades; this process, called Brayton Cycle, generates maximum thrust per unit of fuel flow.
A combustor contains a flame tube to prevent fuel from burning too hot and overheating turbine blades, thus maintaining stable flame levels at high pressures while being self-sustaining at lower pressures. Therefore, selecting an appropriately sized and shaped flame tube is vital.
Turbine
Any jet engine will typically contain a turbine at its core, which converts power from its gas generator into propulsion of air. This part of the engine actually produces thrust, consisting of two parts – a compressor and exhaust nozzle.
The compressor is an essential element in jet engine design, as it heats the fuel to high temperatures necessary for burning it off efficiently. As a result, hot air generated can become very powerful, driving the turbine at high speeds.
There are numerous types of jet engines, from air-breathing jet engines to water jet engines and turbojets. Many are tailored specifically to specific uses such as aeroplanes or helicopters.
Jet aircraft typically utilize a turbofan or airbreathing turbojet engine to achieve efficient long-distance travel at high altitudes. These engines offer higher speed and more cost-efficient fuel consumption compared to piston and propeller aeroengines, although additional losses occur from machinery that transfers energy between their gas generator and bypass airflow.
A jet engine contains both a turbine and a duct or nozzle to accelerate intake airflow and burned fuel to supersonic or even hypersonic speeds, producing forward thrust by way of pressure increase that is converted into forward thrust by its exhaust duct and propelling force.
Homemade jet engines can be fun projects to build and can be quite rewarding once they begin operating! Although not an easy feat to accomplish, building one yourself is still rewarding as it will bring great satisfaction when the engine finally kicks on!
Exhaust
Exhaust systems of jet engines are among the most integral parts, helping aircraft maintain speed while also reducing noise pollution from running engines. A jet engine system involves numerous parts that work together to produce thrust and keep its operations going.
As part of our system, the exhaust nozzle will be the first component that we will create. An exhaust nozzle acts like a tube through which hot gases from outgoing air pass, providing necessary heat management.
This component is of immense significance as it will produce thrust when fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber is ignited, so its metal must withstand high pressures.
Titanium is a material widely utilized in today’s airplanes and sea vessels due to its resistance to high temperatures and corrosion, and high tensile strength to density ratio which allows it to endure significant pressure without deforming.
Stainless steel is another material frequently seen in aircraft exhaust nozzles; this corrosion-resistant alloy of nickel and chromium offers great corrosion protection.
Stainless steel comes in many forms, and its classification usually depends on its composition: ferritic, martensitic or austenitic.
There are a handful of home made jet engines built out of turbochargers – such as the “Jukebox Jet”. One such build provides an overview of its construction with helpful pictures and videos of each step along the way.