GTE Starting & Ignition Systems - For Student

GTE STARTING AND IGNITION SYSTEM
H. EGO WIDORO, ST., SSiT., MT
11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 1

Scope of Discussion
1. Starting
2. Type of Starter
3. Air Starting System
4. Ignition System

STARTING
▪ GTE need external source of power to initiate the cycle of

any internal combustion engine.
▪ If fuel is added to a static engine and lit the result will be a
fire ➔ but no initiation of the cycle due to lack of rotation
▪ GTE require a higher rate of turning than a piston engine
➔ to achieve self-sustaining rpm.
▪ Self-sustaining rpm ➔ engine speed from which the
engine will accelerate to idle rpm
➢under its own power
➢smoothly
➢without overheating (exceeding turbine temperature
limitations).
STARTING
▪ Idle rpm ➔ lowest rpm at which an engine will run for a

long period without overheating.
▪ Sometimes idle rpm ➔ the minimum rpm required for
taxying the aircraft along a level pavement.
▪ Idle rpm is not necessarily the coolest rpm at which the
engine will run ➔ RR Viper Rngine

STARTING
▪ GTE Starting ➔ most dangerous period of the engine’s

operation ➔ engine goes from cold to very hot in short
time.
▪ Sudden change of temperature can promote what is called
‘thermal shock’.
▪ GTE starting should be achieve a starting time
➢as short as possible to get the engine to idle
➢smooth running quickly
➢without exceeding the turbine temperature limitations.
▪ Starter must turn the engine shaft fast enough to obtain a
minimum airflow for cooling purposes during light up
(ignition).
STARTING
▪ To rotate the engine to self-sustaining rpm it must do this
➢ rapidly
➢ sustain a level of torque
▪ Once the igniters have lit the fuel ➔ Turbine torque gradually
increasing
▪ Combined torque (starter and turbine) must always be above a
minimum required to keep the engine accelerating, ultimately,
to idle rpm ➔ one or the other fail ➔ ‘hung start’
▪ Hung start ➔ point reached where the engine is still rotating
but has failed to accelerate.
➢ fuel be burning then a very high turbine temperature
➢ engine should be shut-down immediately.
▪ Hang on the starter ➔ lack of fuel flow (HP shut-off valve has
not been opened)
STARTING
▪ Engine start requires the following:

1. Rotation (for air).
2. Fuel.
3. Ignition.
▪ Engine start system must provide for:
➢Ground Starting.
➢Engine Cranking – with or without fuel.
➢Relighting in flight – with or without starter
assistance.
TYPE OF STARTER
1. HYDRAULIC STARTER
2. ISOPROPYL-NITRATE (IPN) STARTER
3. CARTRIDGE STARTERS
4. GAS TURBINE STARTERS
5. WINDMILL STARTING
6. AIR IMPINGEMENT STARTING
7. LOW PRESSURE AIR TURBINE STARTERS
8. ELECTRIC MOTOR STARTERS
9. ELECTRIC MOTOR-GENERATOR STARTERS
TYPE OF STARTER
1. HYDRAULIC STARTER
▪ Lots of torque, fairly light and simple
▪ but needs a supply of hydraulic pressure and flow.
➔ heavier and difficult to arrange adequately.

TYPE OF STARTER

▪ Light, simple and relatively dangerous
▪ carried with the aircraft in order to obtain multiple
starts ➔ two gallon tank will give three starts.
▪ IPN is squirted into a small combustion chamber,
ignited and the resultant gases impinge on a small
impulse turbine that is geared to the main engine
shaft.
▪ Fire Hazard and Skin Iritation (chemical)
▪ Restricted to military aircraft engines.
TYPE OF STARTER

TYPE OF STARTER
3. CARTRIDGE STARTER
▪ Cartridges of various sizes are available depending
on the size of the engine to be started.
▪ single cartridge breech but some are fitted with
triple breech starters to enable multiple starts.
▪ The slow burning charge inside the cartridge will
ignite and the resulting gases will impinge on a
small turbine which is geared to provide the
required torque to the main engine shaft.
▪ Normally restricted to military aircraft engines.
TYPE OF STARTER
3. CARTRIDGE STARTER

TYPE OF STARTER
4. GAS TURBINE STARTER

▪ A small gas turbine with a free turbine is installed
on the aircraft.
▪ The free turbine is connected to the main shaft of
the engine(s) to be started.
▪ The gas turbine starter is started itself with a small
electric motor and then the free turbine is used to
start the main engine.
▪ Once the engine(s) has been started the gas turbine
starter is then shut down.
▪ Restricted largely to military use.
TYPE OF STARTER
4. GAS TURBINE STARTER

TYPE OF STARTER
5. WINDMILL STARTER
▪ Started by an airflow passing over the propeller or
down the intake.
➢In flight this will be the airflow created by the forward
passage of the aircraft through the air.
➢positioning another aircraft in front of the aircraft whose
engines are to be started
▪ This is rarely used and not recommended for
commercial/civil ➔ danger of FOD

TYPE OF STARTER
6. AIR IMPINGEMENT STARTER

▪ Light and simple but requires specific ground
support equipment to apply it.
▪ Compressed air is blown directly onto the turbine
of the engine to promote initial rotation.
▪ Once the engine starts and the pressure of the gas
passing into the turbine builds up, a valve supplying
the external supply of compressed air shuts and the
pipe can then be disconnected.
▪ Impractical and rare.
TYPE OF STARTER
7. LOW PRESSURE AIR TURBINE STARTER

▪ Light, simple and efficient.
▪ for most large engines.
▪ The air pressure required can be taken from several
sources
➢APU
➢External Ground Equipment
➢Other Engine
▪ Common on commercial aircraft.
▪ Heavy engines
TYPE OF STARTER
8. ELECTRIC MOTOR STARTER

▪ Light, simple, efficient and will give enough torque
to turn over the engine from a convenient source of
power - the battery or an external supply.
▪ Common on smaller engines although some fairly
heavy engines have used them.

TYPE OF STARTER
9. ELECTRIC MOTOR-GENERATOR STARTER (START-GEN)

▪ Most small GTE.
▪ Lighter than a separate starter and generator
▪ The engine accessory section also requires one less
gear

AIR STARTING SYSTEM
DUCTING
▪ The air for a low pressure air starter unit is obtainable
from one of the following sources:
1. APU
2. External Ground Equipment
3. Other Engine
▪ The ducting used to convey air from the source to the
starter is generally:
➢large bore,
➢aluminum alloy, or steel alloy
➢rigid pipe constructed to a specific design which
incorporates all required bend.
➢Where a degree of flexibility is necessary a bellows type
coupling is used
AIR STARTING SYSTEM
VALVE
▪ three types of valves used in air starter systems;
1. non-return valves,
2. ON/OFF valves and
3. pressure regulating valves (start control valve)
▪ Non-return valves are simple flap type valves lightly
sprung loaded into the closed position.
▪ ON/OFF valves are normally of the carbon gate type which
are electrically actuated open and closed.
▪ Pressure regulating valves (Start Control Valves) maintain a
constant pressure into the air starter motor ➔ to keep up
the torque to a constant level ➔ to maintain a pressure –
nominally 28 ±2 psi, in the downstream side of the main
piston.
AIR STARTING SYSTEM

AIR STARTING SYSTEM
TURBINE AIR STARTER
▪ air is supplied to the starter, guide vanes direct it onto an
impulse turbine which rotates a drive coupling through a
two stage spur epicyclic reduction gear and a sprag clutch.
▪ The coupling engages the engine gearbox ➔ drives the HP
compressor ➔ accessories required for starting (fuel
pump, oil pump, EDP)

AIR STARTING SYSTEM

AIR STARTING SYSTEM
TURBINE AIR STARTER
▪ The starter incorporates a centrifugally operated cut-
out switch driven from the reduction gear
➢When the engine reaches self-sustaining speed the
switch tells the start system which, in turn, de-
energises the solenoid in the start control valve to
cut off the supply of air to the starter.
• The rollers of the sprag clutch are now free and the
drive coupling is disengaged from the reduction gear
and the turbine. The coupling continues to rotate with
the gearbox and the remainder of the mechanism
comes to rest.
AIR STARTING SYSTEM

AIR STARTING SYSTEM
TURBINE AIR STARTER
▪ sprag clutch, or support bearings for the drive coupling
seize with engine to drive the starter ➔ pressure
regulating valve (start control valve) fail
▪ To prevent this from causing excessive damage a
secondary disengaging mechanism between the reduction
gear and the sprag clutch ➔ acme type teeth.
▪ Disengage under high torque conditions and will remain
disengaged as they are held apart by a Belville washer.
▪ A Belville washer will over centre and remain in the new
position until reset manually ➔ by disassembling the
starter.
IGNITION SYSTEM
▪ Fuel-Air Mixture in Combustion Chamber Ignite by

high energy electrical spark ➔ Igniter in Combustion
Chamber
▪ Ignition must occur at the correct time during the
starting cycle ➔ electrical starting circuit containing
timing and switching devices
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
The electrical energy stored in turbine ignition systems is
POTENTIALLY LETHAL
IGNITION SYSTEM
▪ Before handling the components the associated

➢circuit breaker must be tripped and/or the fuse
must be removed.
➢The low tension (LT) input lead must be
disconnected from the high-energy ignition unit.
➢Then allow AT LEAST ONE MINUTE* to elapse
before handling the ignition unit, HT lead or ignite
plug. [*Three (3) minutes for air gap plugs -
commonly fitted to APU's and small turbo-shaft
engines.]
IGNITION SYSTEM
IGNITION
▪ For starting all jet engines
➢High-energy ignition
➢Dual system
✓Each system has an ignition unit connected to its
own igniter plug
✓two plugs ➔ different positions in the combustion
system - normally at 4 o'clock and 7 o'clock.
▪ High-energy Ignition unit (dual unit) deliver to igniter plugs
➢High-Energy ➔ 12-13 Joules (16 HP), 50 millisecond
/spark
➢Low-Energy ➔ 2-4 Joules (6 HP), one second/spark ➔
Continous Ignition Selection
▪ 18,000 and 28,000 volts ➔ It WILL kill you.
IGNITION SYSTEM
IGNITION
▪ Continuous ignition
➢Automatically switched on during, for instance, a
stall warning ➔ After a stall warning the igniters
will operate continuously for one (1) minute after
the stall warning has cancelled
➢Manually when landing (or taking-off) on very wet
or slushy runways ➔ to relight the engine
immediately should there be a drop in air flow
which will flame-out the engine.
(On some FADEC engines 4-7 spark per second).

IGNITION SYSTEM
IGNITION
▪ Dual rated units have two circuits, one for each charge size.
▪ Each HE ignition unit (HEIU) receives a low voltage supply
controlled by the starting system electrical circuit.
▪ The electrical energy is stored in the unit until, at a pre-
determined value, the energy is dissipated as a high-voltage,
high current discharge across the igniter plug.
▪ An ignition unit may be supplied with:
➢ direct current (DC) and operated by a trembler mechanism
or a transistorized chopper circuit ➔ availability during
start-up and because, unless electronically modified
➢ alternating current (AC) and operated by a transformer ➔
too slow, electrically, to create the necessary build-up and
collapse of the magnetic flux in the transformer.
IGNITION SYSTEM
DC TREMBLER HIGH ENERGY IGNITION UNIT (HEIU)
▪ supplied by 28V DC.
▪ The trembler mechanism (similar operation to an electric
bell) ➔ switches the electrical voltage to the induction
coil ON and OFF and Step up the voltage by transformer
▪ A pulsed rectified dc from the output transformer will
start to charge the reservoir capacitor.
▪ With successive pulses the capacitor voltage and charge
increases and when it reaches approximately 2-3kV the
calibrated sealed discharge gap breaks down.
▪ The stored capacitor then discharges via the choke
through the igniter plug causing a high intensity flashover.
▪ The reservoir capacitor then starts to recharge and the
cycle is repeated.
IGNITION SYSTEM
▪ The primary capacitor protects the contacts from the
induction coil primary as the contacts open.
▪ The safety resistors enable the unit to discharge safely
if the HT lead is open circuit
➢so preventing internal damage whilst the discharge
resistors slowly discharge the reservoir capacitor
when the unit is switched off.

IGNITION SYSTEM
▪ The circuit is fitted with two resistors in parallel with the
secondary, shorting it out to earth.
➢ The effect is the same as having a large bucket of water with
a small hole in the bottom.
➢ The bucket is still perfectly usable but an insignificant
amount of the water will be lost.
➢ The purpose of the safety resistor - fitted nearest to the
plug, is to protect the circuit in the event of it firing with no
plug installed.
➢ The other resistor, the discharged resistor, will discharge the
contents of the reservoir (storage) capacitor to earth to
make the unit safe to handle.
➢ It is this resistor that will take less than one minute to
discharge the capacitor when the LT lead is disconnected.
IGNITION SYSTEM
▪ High Tension (HT) Lead.
➢The high-tension lead from the HEIU to the igniter
plug is a highly insulated cable with a braided
sheathing around it ➔ Shielded Wire
➢The braiding is to protect other electrical and
electronic services from interference from the very
strong magnetic pulse which will occur every
second, while the igniters are operating.

IGNITION SYSTEM
▪ Igniter Plugs.
➢ Several types of igniters are fitted to gas turbine engines.
➢ The most common form is the surface discharge type.
✓In a surface discharge plug the spark does not have to
jump across an air gap.
✓The end of the insulator is made up as a pellet covered
with a semi-conductive material which permits an
electrical leakage from the central high tension electrode
to the body of the plug.
✓This leakage ionizes the air and surface of the pellet to
provide a low resistance path for the energy stored in
the capacitor.
✓The discharge is a high-energy flashover from the pellet
to the body which projects the spark an inch or more
11/29/2022
into the combustion chamber.
H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 51
IGNITION SYSTEM
▪ Igniter Plugs.
➢ Air gap type igniter plugs are normally only fitted in APU or
smaller gas turbine engines.
➢ They are similar in operation to the spark plugs found in
piston engines where the spark jumps a gap between a
central electrode (cathode) and the outer electrode (anode)
which is formed by the casing of the igniter.
➢ very high voltages in the region of 12,000-25,000 Volts ➔
the spark jump to the gap ➔ much higher than the
operating voltage of a surface discharge igniter.

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GTE STARTING AND IGNITION SYSTEM

H. EGO WIDORO, ST., SSiT., MT

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 1

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 2

▪ GTE need external source of power to initiate the cycle of

▪ Idle rpm ➔ lowest rpm at which an engine will run for a

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 4

▪ GTE Starting ➔ most dangerous period of the engine’s

▪ Engine start requires the following:

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 10

2. ISOPROPYL-NITRATE (IPN) STARTER

2. ISOPROPYL-NITRATE (IPN) STARTER

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 12

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 14

4. GAS TURBINE STARTER

4. GAS TURBINE STARTER

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 17

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 18

6. AIR IMPINGEMENT STARTER

7. LOW PRESSURE AIR TURBINE STARTER

8. ELECTRIC MOTOR STARTER

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 24

9. ELECTRIC MOTOR-GENERATOR STARTER (START-GEN)

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 25

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 30

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 31

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 32

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 34

▪ Fuel-Air Mixture in Combustion Chamber Ignite by

▪ Before handling the components the associated

(On some FADEC engines 4-7 spark per second).

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 46

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 50

11/29/2022 H. Ego Widoro, ST., SSiT., MT 53

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