Human beings have an irrepressible drive to invent, to improve, and to better their own situations. It is therefore appropriate that one of the inventions credited to our species is a more efficient engine for driving. We are, of course, referring to the gas turbine engine. Gas turbines are a marked improvement over the old reciprocating engines that we have in our cars. Though their expense prevents everyone from taking advantage of this technological marvel, this website is devoted to all things gas turbine. If you've ever wondered how a gas turbine differs from a regular engine, how a gas turbine works, or where you can get one, you've come to the right place.

Gas turbines, which are also sometimes known as combustion turbines, are a type of engine that has more in common with jet engines than the old reciprocating internal combustion engines, even though they use the same type of fuel. Where reciprocating engines make use of regular air and use the ignition of gasoline to drive a piston, gas turbines make use of compressed air and contain a single combustion chamber where the explosive ignition of gas and air drives several sets of fan blades, which are then attached to the shaft of whatever needs driving.

Gas turbine engines can be found in many different places, especially in transportation. Ships, particularly the faster and more maneuverable Navy ships, often have their screws driven by gas turbine engines, and the newer varieties of tank also have treads driven by gas turbines. Gas turbine engines are also common in airplanes, where they can be of the turboprop or jet variety, and on helicopters. There are even some trains and buses that are driven by gas turbine engines. Racing cars also sometimes feature gas turbines, and a special type of gas turbine called a microturbine can be found inside of hybrid cars.

There are also many industrial uses for gas turbine engines. Gas turbines are used in newer power plants to produce electricity because they are much more efficient and environmentally friendly than coal plants, especially when the waste heat is captured and reused. Gas turbine technology is also used to compressed gasses such as oxygen and nitrogen for storage in industrial tanks. Most gas turbines are produced industrially, but it is possible, and even fairly common, for amateur mechanics to cobble together their own from surplus and scraps.

Gas turbines exist alongside other types of engine, most notably the more common reciprocating engine. Gas turbines have a higher power to weight ratio, are smaller than their reciprocating counterparts, perform at higher levels, and are less complicated, but the prohibitive cost of gas turbines has prevented a complete paradigm shift away from reciprocating engines. Other disadvantages of gas turbines include that they're less efficient in the idling state and have a slower response to throttle input.

To learn more about gas turbines, including a more detailed description of how they operate and how you can convert your car's reciprocating engine into a gas turbine, check out some of our articles.