Britannica Sources used in this answer

What parts are usually included in a gas-turbine engine?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Rows of white wind turbines with spinning blades stand on a dry, grassy landscape at a wind farm near Tehachapi, California. — turbine Wind turbines near Tehachapi, California.

A gas-turbine engine is a type of internal-combustion engine that operates on an open cycle, drawing air from the atmosphere and discharging combustion products back into it. While the device is conceptually simple, it relies on the integration of three primary components:12

Compressor: This component increases the pressure of the incoming air. Modern engines typically utilize axial-flow compressors, which consist of multiple stages of rotating blades that diffuse the flow and raise pressure.3
Combustion chamber: Here, fuel is injected and burned. The chamber slows the compressed air and mixes it with fuel to generate high-temperature gases. This process occurs either in a series of cylindrical "cans" or a single annular passage.4
Turbine: The hot gases expand through the turbine, which extracts energy to drive the compressor and, depending on the application, an external load such as a generator or propeller.521

These components are usually mounted as an integral unit, often utilizing "spooled" shafts in high-performance designs to allow different sections of the engine to rotate at optimal speeds.531