Mechanical Engineering Interview Question:

What is a turboprop engine?

Submitted by: Administrator

The combination of the words turbine and propeller in techno jargon will give you the word "turboprop". A turboprop engine is a turbojet (gas turbine) engine, which powers the propeller/s.

A conventional jet engine produces its thrust in large part due to the heated gasses escaping out the rear of the engine. While this is very useful for aircraft, which fly at high speeds and high altitudes, it is less desirable for aircraft, which are designed to fly at slower speeds and take off from smaller runways.
A turboprop engine is a jet engine, which converts the bulk of its thrust into rotational energy for powering a propeller. This allows jet engines, which are a high-rpm low-torque engine to be used in situations where low-rpm and high-torque are needed instead.
The higher reliability and efficiency of a jet or turboprop engine as compared to an internal combustion engine makes them very desirable for aircraft designs, which, in the past, would have utilized internal combustion engines.
Submitted by: Administrator