Diesel aircraft engines and are the light jets pushing out the twins?

"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
nk.net...
I meant that you are unlikely to see them on production aircraft.

I'll buy that.

Though, I wouldn't go so far as to say it could never happen. Who knows?
Maybe there's an application where reduced weight or increased reliability
is more important, or perhaps the "fundamental" inefficiencies of small
turbines will turn out to not be so fundamental after all.

But you are right, for now the existing low-power turbines show no sign of
being targeted for certified, production aircraft.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
nk.net...
I meant that you are unlikely to see them on production aircraft.

I'll buy that.

Though, I wouldn't go so far as to say it could never happen. Who knows?
Maybe there's an application where reduced weight or increased reliability
is more important, or perhaps the "fundamental" inefficiencies of small
turbines will turn out to not be so fundamental after all.

But you are right, for now the existing low-power turbines show no sign of
being targeted for certified, production aircraft.

Pete


My understanding is that the reason that small turbines are less efficient
than large ones is because of efficiency losses at the tips of both the
compressor and turbine and the internal drag of the engine surfaces. Both
of these issues get more pronounced as things get smaller. Similiar to a
pipe with a cross sectional area of 1"sq flowing less than half as much
fluid as one with a cross section of 2" sq.

That is not to say that the engines will not get more efficient, it just
means that small turbines will be less efficient than large ones.

Mike
MU-2