Turbofan

A turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of references to the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet and the additional fan stage. It consists of a gas turbine engine which adds kinetic energy to the air passing through it by burning fuel, and a ducted fan powered by energy from the gas turbine to force air rearwards.

Whereas all the air taken in by a turbojet passes through the combustion chamber and turbines, in a turbofan some of the air entering the nacelle bypasses these components.
A turbofan can be thought of as a turbojet being used to drive a ducted fan, with both of these contributing to the thrust.

Back to Aircraft & Engineering →

Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0