Advantages of the Diesel for Aviation

The mechanical advantages which the Diesel aircraft engine has over the gasoline aircraft engine include elimination of electrical ignition trouble and interference with radio communication, freedom from carburetor trouble at sea-level and at various altitudes, lower exhaust gas temperature permitting the use of an exhaust-driven supercharger, and better installation in the airplane. These advantages formerly were offset by the greater specific weight of the Diesel but now that this has been reduced to approximately that of the gasoline engine, full advantage can be taken of them for aviation.

ADVANTAGES FOR CIVIL AVIATION

The advantages of the Diesel for civil aviation are so overwhelming that when suitable Diesels become available it will not be long before they are used extensively in privately-owned airplanes as well as in large transport planes for passengers and freight. For the private flier there will be the advantage of reduced fire hazard which will safeguard him in forced landings and make the sport even more popular than it is today. The advantages of reduced fuel load and increased payload or flight range also will be noticeable despite the relatively small size of such airplanes. Reduction in fuel operating cost will enable the private flier to spend considerably more hours in the air than he can afford to do at present.

SPECIALIZED DIESEL ADVANTAGES

Owners of airplanes used for special purposes such as exploration in tropical or arctic regions far from ordinary lines of communication will find the Diesel particularly advantageous. In addition to the outstanding advantage of reduced fire hazard the difficulty of transporting fuel to remote out-of-the-way places will be reduced due to the smaller amount of fuel required. The fact that fuel oil does not evaporate at atmospheric temperatures will make fuel storage easier and the ability of the Diesel to run on kerosene in an emergency is an asset which should not be overlooked. Absence of electrical interference from the ignition system of the Diesel is another advantage for expeditions of this kind as it will help to improve radio communication.

COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES

Airline companies will find the Diesel advantageous for many reasons when reliable engines of this type are available for everyday use. The safety factor of their operations will be increased due to the elimination of fire hazard and the psychological effect on both passengers and crew will be most pronounced. Sleeper planes will become more popular and refueling will not present any hazards. Reduction of fuel loads will enable greater payloads to be carried or schedules to be speeded up by eliminating refueling stops. Fuel operating costs will be cut in half and even insurance rates will be reduced.

For transatlantic airlines the Diesel will prove to be ideal as it will enable larger payloads of passengers and mail to be carried non-stop over considerably greater distances than is now possible with gasoline-engined planes. No longer will intermediate stops have to be made between the United States and Europe which waste time and subject American property to interference by another nation. Passengers will not be forced to wait indefinitely due to the inability of airliners to carry them as well as the mail. Special Diesel-engined mailplanes will be catapulted to ensure that the mail leaves on time regardless of weather conditions.

Greater business will result from the use of Diesel-engined airplanes which will save time for the passengers and ensure greater profits for the airlines. All of these highly desirable changes will be brought about by the use of the economical Diesel for aviation in the future after World War II.

Exercise 9. Replace the Russian words and word-combinations by the English ones.

1. One of the most essential parts of any airplane is its силовая установка.

2. There must also be топливно-масляная система, engine control system, cooling system and система запуска

3. Types of engines, their количество and location on the airplane depend on the ТТХ самолета.

4. Engines may be mounted on the wings, on the fuselage (forward or aft) or под крыльями on pylons.

5. There are many types of aircraft engines in use: piston engines for low-speed aircraft and some types of реактивных двигателей

6. Jet engines fall into two main classes: воздушно-реактивные engines and ракетные engines.

7. The engines of the first class utilize air from the atmosphere together with the горением топлива.

8. The rocket engine carries the полный запас of working fluid or ракетного топлива (oxidizer and fuel) and can operate outside the earth’s atmosphere.

9. There are two basic types of rocket engines: с жидким и твердым топливом rocket engines.

10. The simplest type of air-breathing engines is the прямоточный двигатель.

11. The пульсирующий двигатель is more complicated than the ramjet.

12. Turbojet, турбовинтовые and turbofan belong to the family of газотурбинных двигателей.

13. The turbine соединяется with the compressor.

14. The main function of the turbine is создавать мощность for the compressor.

15. The majority of modern turbojets are equipped with осевыми компрессорами.

16. The turboprop engine uses propeller чтобы создать most of its тяги.

17. In the turbofan the propeller is replaced by an осевым вентилятором.

18. The turbofan engine combines the особенности of both the turbojet and turboprop engines.

Exercise 10. True or false? Express your agreement or disagreement using “You are right”, “I’m of the same opinion”, “I can’t agree with you”.

1. A rocket engine is not a jet engine; it uses atmospheric air as the propulsive fluid stream.

2. A rocket engine can not operate outside the earth’s atmosphere.

3. There are two basic types of rocket engines: liquid-propellant and solid-propellant rocket engines.

4. A rocket propulsion system may also be used as a primary power plant of an airplane.

5. The simplest type of air-breathing engines is the pulsejet engine.

6. The ramjet has found wide application in aviation.

7. The ramjet is more complicated than the pulsejet.

8. The pulsejet is suitable as an aircraft power plant because it has high fuel consumption.

9. Turbojet, turboprop and turbofan belong to the family of gas-turbine engines.

10. In a turbojet engine the diffuser takes the air and delivers it to the combustion chamber

11. The main function of the turbine is to provide power for the combustion chamber.

12. There are two types of compressors: centrifugal and axial compressors.

13. The majority of modern turbojets are equipped with centrifugal compressors.

14. The turboprop engine differs considerably from the turbojet.

15. The turboprop is lighter than a turbojet of equivalent size and power.

16. A variation of the turboprop engine is known as the turboshaft engine often used for powering guided missiles.

17. It is well known that there are liquid and solid-propellant rocket engines.

18. The turbofan engine doesn’t combine the features of both the turbojet and turboprop engines.

19. Turbofans are widely used in aviation, especially in large multi-engine aircraft.

Exercise 11. Answer the questions.

1. What can you say about the number and location of engines in the aircraft?

2. How are jet engines classified?

3. What is the difference between rocket and air-breathing engines?

4. What are two types of rocket engines?

5. What is the simplest type of air-breathing engines?

6. Is the pulsejet engine more complicated that the ramjet one?

7. What engines belong to the family of gas-turbine engines?

8. How are turbojets divided?

9. What are essential components of a turbojet engine?

10. What are the advantages of a turbofan engine?

Exercise 12. The most important types of engines are turbojet and turboprop engines. Let’s compare them according to the following parameters. (Find the additional information to do this task properly)

	Turbojet engines	Turboprop engines
Thrust is produced by	the jet of hot gases ejected from the rear	the propellers
Weight
Size
Speed
Fuel consumption
Use in airplanes