Gas turbine

A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. The simplest form has three main parts:

• A rotating gas compressor (SP in the diagram) to compress air
• A combustion chamber, called a combustor (KS in the diagram) where fuel is injected
• A turbine (TG in the diagram) on the same shaft as the compressor

Simplified diagram of a gas turbine

The diagram shows a single-shaft gas turbine. One turbine drives both the compressor and the load, such as an electric generator. There are also two-shaft gas turbines, with separate turbines to drive the compressor and the load. Two-shaft turbines are better for driving road and rail vehicles because they can give more torque at low speed.