Guy Builds a See-Through Jet Engine Allowing Us to See How It Works

We’ve covered Mikka’s work before, so we know he’s a true petrolhead, perhaps one with more knowledge and skills than most of us. He designs and builds all kinds of engines, some so small that they can fit in the palm of your hand. He also likes explaining things, so he built see-through versions of various engines, including piston and rotary machines. But most of all, Mikka loves jet engines, and last year we saw three of them powering a Tesla Model S to shave one second from the 0-60 time.

Recently, Mikka has decided to combine all the above in a miniaturized, transparent jet engine to show his followers how these machines work. For that, he had to overcome some hurdles which are not easy in a garage environment. Among them, balancing the engine to perfection. At first, his model came out 0.005 grams out of balance, which might not seem much, but at the speeds a jet engine rotates, it risks breaking apart. In the end, he balances it out by 0.001 grams, good enough for the purpose.

In the video, Mikka explains the Brayton cycle that underpins the jet engine. In a nutshell, the air enters the engine from one side, gets compressed inside the compressor, then moves to the combustion chamber, where it gets mixed with fuel and ignited. The heat and gases expand out of the back of the engine, pushing the turbine wheel, which powers the compressor to complete the cycle and create thrust.

Once finished, the engine is bolted to a workbench, and the transparent case allows us to see the middle of the engine lighting up and flickering. A blue flame comes out at the back, and we can hear the engine roaring as the speed increases. A slow-motion version of the video shows us the forces at play here as the machine warps under air pressure. As fascinating as this is, it should not be tried at home unless you’re a skilled engineer like Matt Mikka. Watch the video below and tell us what you think.