16: Afterburning Contents Introduction Operation of afterburning Construction Burners Jet pipe Propelling nozzle Control system Thrust increase Fuel consumption INTRODUCTION 1. Afterburning (or reheat) is a method of ‘augmenting the basic thrust of an engine to improve the aircraft take-off, climb and (for military aircraft) combat performance. The increased power could be obtained by the use of a larger engine, but as this ‘would increase the weight, frontal area and overall fuel consumption, afterburning provides the best method of thrust augmentation for short periods. Page 169 170 173 173 175 178 2. Afterburning consists of the introduction and ‘burning of fuel between the engine turbine and the jet pipe propelling nozzle, utilzing the unburned oxygen in the exhaust gas to support combustion (fig. 16-1). ‘The resultant increase in the temperature of the exhaust gas gives an increased velocity of the jet leaving the propelling nozzle and therefore increases the engine thrust. 3. As the temperature of the afterburner flame can be in excess of 1,700 deg. C., the bumers are usually arranged so that the flame is concentrated around the axis ofthe jet pipe. This allows a proportion of the ‘turbine discharge gas to flow along the wall of the jt pipe and thus maintain the wall temperature at a safe value, 169BY-PASS AIRFLOW AFTERBURNER Fig. 16-1. Principle of afterburning 4. The area of the afterburning jet pipe is largerthan ‘2 normal jet pipe would be for the same engine, to obtain a reduced velocity gas stream To provide for ‘operation under all conditions, an afterbumning jet pipe is fitted with either a two-posttion or a variable- area propelling nozzle (fig. 16-2). The nozzle is closed during non-afterburning operation, but when afterburning is selected the gas temperature increases and the nozzle opens to give an exit area suitable for the resultant increase in the volume of the gas stream. This prevents any increase in pressure occurring in the jet pipe which would affect ‘the functioning of the engine and enables afterburn- ing to be used over a wide range of engine speeds. 5. The thrust of an afferburning engine, without afterburning in operation, is slightly less than that of a similar engine not fitted with afterburning ‘equipment; this is due to the added restrictions in the Jet pipe. The overall weight of the power plant is also increased because of the heavier jet pipe and after- ‘burning equipment 6. Afterburning is achieved on low by-pass engines by mixing the by-pass and turbine streams before the afterburner fuel injection and stabilizer system is reached so that the combustion takes place in the 170 COOLING FLOW JET PIPE NOZZLE OPERATING SLEEVE VARIABLE PROPELLING NOZZLE mixed exhaust stream. An altemative method is to inject the fuel and stabilize the flame in the individual by-pass and turbine streams, burning the available gases up to a common exit temperature at the final ‘nozzle, In this method, the fuel injection is scheduled separately to the individual streams and it is normal to provide some form of interconnection between the flame stabilizers in the hot and cold streams to assist the combustion processes in the cold by-pass air OPERATION OF AFTERBURNING 7. The gas stream from the engine turbine enters the jet pipe at a velocity of 750 to 1,200 feet per ssecand, but as this velocity is far too high for a stable flame to be maintained, the flow is diffused before it enters the afterburner combustion zone, Le. the flow velocity is reduced and the pressure is increased. However, as the speed of burning kerosine at normal mixture ratios is only a few feet per second, any fuel lit even in the diffused air stream would be blown away. A form of flame stabilizer (vapour gutter) is, therefore, located downstream of the fuel bumers to provide a region in which turbulent eddies are formed to assist combustion and where the local gas velocity is further reduced to a figure at which flame stabi lization occurs whilst combustion is in operation.MOVABLE EYELIDS EYELID OPERATING RAMS Nozze TWO-POSITION NOZZLE OPERATING RAMS VARIABLE-AREA NOZZLE INTERLOCKING FLAPS Fig. 16-2 Examples of afterburning jet pipes and propelling nozzles. im