WEBVTT - How can turbines change our energy future?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from house stuff works dot com

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<v Speaker 1>where smart happens. Hi. I'm Marshall Brain with today's question.

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<v Speaker 1>Is it possible to use gas turbine engines in cars

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<v Speaker 1>or other places besides gend airplanes? Everyone has seen a

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<v Speaker 1>gas turbine engine. The jet engines on a commercial airliner

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<v Speaker 1>are gas turbans. These engines burn fuel to create a

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<v Speaker 1>high speed stream of exhaust. The exhaust blows against turbine

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<v Speaker 1>blades that cause the turbine shaft to spin. You can

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<v Speaker 1>do lots of different things with that spinning shaft. In helicopters,

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<v Speaker 1>gas turbine engines can turn the helicopter's main rotor. In

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<v Speaker 1>the M one tank, a horsepower gas turbine engine drives

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<v Speaker 1>the tracks. In a power plant, a gas turbine engine

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<v Speaker 1>can spin the generator. Gas turbines are a relatively efficient

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<v Speaker 1>way to convert a fuel and mechanical energy, and compared

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<v Speaker 1>to a piston engine of the same horsepower, gas turbines

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<v Speaker 1>are lighter, smaller, and simpler. The big problem with gas

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<v Speaker 1>turbine engines has been the cost, but prices are falling,

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<v Speaker 1>so it's fair to ask if we will be seeing

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<v Speaker 1>gas turbans in more and more applications. One place where

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<v Speaker 1>gas turbine engines are likely to appear as hybrid cars.

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<v Speaker 1>The gas turbine could drive a generator, and it would

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<v Speaker 1>be a lot smaller and lighter than a piston engine.

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<v Speaker 1>Small gas turbine engines have also been proposed as a

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<v Speaker 1>replacement for batteries. A tiny gas turbine could, in theory,

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<v Speaker 1>power a laptop computer. Soldiers now carry so many electronic

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<v Speaker 1>devices and proposed exoskeleton systems for soldiers needs so much

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<v Speaker 1>power that the military is considered using gas turbine engines

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<v Speaker 1>to provide the electricity for future soldiers. Do you have

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<v Speaker 1>any ideas or suggestions for this podcast? If so, please

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<v Speaker 1>send me an email at podcas casted how stuff works

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