Summary/ Reader Response Draft 1

 According to the webpage” turbofan engine” from SKYbrary(n.d.) and "turbofan engine” from NASA(n.d.), a turbofan engine, also known as a fanjet engine or bypass engine, is the latest form of jet engine that utilizes both high speed exhaust gasses and bypass air, amplified by a duct fan which is propelled by a jet core to help an airplane soar through the sky. 

A turbofan engine is made up of an inlet, a fan, a compressor, a burner, a core turbine, a fan turbine and finally, a nozzle.

The NASA website also states that the turbofan engine takes in air from the front through the inlet, which is then compressed by the core compressor. The compressed air is then mixed with fuel and burned in the burner, producing hot exhaust that will pass through the core and fan turbines and out of the nozzle to produce a thrust that will propel the aircraft foward. Many present-day aircrafts use turbofan engines for their high propulsive force and low fuel consumption. 

While turbojet engines and turbofan engines are similar, the main difference between them lies in the fan at the front. With such a change, the turbofan engine became the more popular choice when compared to turbojet engines in commercial aircrafts as it is more fuel efficient and produces less sound.

The efficiency of an aircraft engine is determined by how much fuel is used to produce a certain amount of thrust. Anil Chopra (2022). The turbofan engine produces more thrust for the same amount of fuel used by a turbojet engine due to the addition of the fan at the front. While the thrust of a turbojet engine is produced mainly through the production of high-speed exhaust gas, the exhaust of a turbofan engine is a combination of bypass air and exhaust gas. Of the total thrust produced by a turbofan engine, bypass air encompasses 30 to 70 percent of the exhaust gases.Anil Chopra (2022). Thus, allowing the turbofan to have high fuel efficiency.

Paraphrased using chatGPT, turbofan engines are naturally less noisy than turbojets when producing the same amount of thrust. Turbofan engines generate thrust by spinning a fan using a turbine engine, which speeds up a larger volume of air to a lower velocity compared to turbojets. In contrast, turbojets rely solely on the turbine engine to generate thrust. Consequently, when producing the same level of thrust, the exhaust from a turbofan engine contains less energy (though more mass), resulting in reduced noise. This is why turbofan engines are commonly preferred for commercial aircraft, as they offer improved performance and lower noise levels. (Donald Bartlet, 2016).

According to chatGPT, turbofan engines are more difficult to produce compared to simpler turbojet engines because of their complexity, the need for advanced materials, the requirement for high efficiency and low emissions, and the intricate integration with aircraft systems. These challenges make them a critical and costly component of modern aviation, but they also contribute to the safety and performance of commercial and military aircraft. (OpenAI,2023).

In conclusion, while the turbojet engine has its merits, the turbofan engine is undoubtedly superior when it comes to carrying commercial aircrafts.

References

NASA(n.d.) Turbofan Engine. https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/aturbf.html

SKYbrary(n.d.) Turbofan Engine. https://skybrary.aero/articles/turbofan-engine

Devansh Mehta (2022), How Do Turbofan Engines Work? Simple Flying. https://simpleflying.com/how-do-turbofan-engines-work/

Matt Claiborne (2023), The Difference Between Turbojet and Turbofan Engines. Aerocorner. The Difference Between Turbojet and Turbofan Engines - Aero Corner

Anil Chopra (2022). LARGE JET ENGINES: POWER WITH FUEL EFFICIENCY. SP’s airbuz. https://www.spsairbuz.com/story/?id=1203&h=Large-Jet-Engines-Power-with-Fuel-Efficiency

MachineDesign(2016). What’s the Difference Between Turbine Engines? https://www.machinedesign.com/motors-drives/article/21832035/whats-the-difference-between-turbine-engines

Donald Bartlet (2016). THE EFFECTS OF USING NOISE REDUCTION TURBOFAN ENGINE NOZZLE DESIGNS ON A TURBOJET ENGINE. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=jasa#:~:text=Turbofan%20engines%20are%20inherently%20quieter%20than%20turbojets%20for%20a%20given,solely%20by%20the%20turbine%20engine.

OpenAI(2023,September 24) ChatGPT response to “What makes turbofan engines much more difficult than jets in production?” https://chat.openai.com/c/b62c7bef-1b20-4118-830b-c5e49835d388

OpenAI(2023,September 24) ChatGPT response to “Paraphrase ‘Turbofan engines are inherently quieter than turbojets for a given level of thrust. A turbofan thrust is developed by 

turning a fan with a turbine engine that accelerates a larger amount of air to a lower velocity than do turbojets. Turbojet thrust is developed solely by the turbine engine. Therefore, for a given thrust, the fanjet’s discharge contains less energy (but more mass) as it exits the engine, and so produces less noise. Turbofan engines are commonly used on commercial transports due to their advantage for higher performance and lower noise?’” https://chat.openai.com/c/b62c7bef-1b20-4118-830b-c5e49835d388