The best engine of all time | Mathew Dixon | TEDxRundleAcademy

General Electric's GEnx engine is a feat of engineering prowess. In this short, charming talk, young Mathew Dixon explains why this engine is remarkable. However, it is his musings upon the importance of innovation that make this talk captivating.

Mathew Dixon is a grade six student who is fascinated by innovation, engineering, and airplanes. He wants us to all know that "impossible" is not in his vocabulary.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

So how does a General Electric
GEnx engine work?

The GEnx engine specialties
are that only 10 percent of the air

actually gets ignited with the fuel;

the rest just gets blown out
of the back of the engine.

Each engine is worth $34 million.

That's as much as, probably,
two tons of gold.

It is the most expensive kind of engine.

I already said that.

This engine is only used on two aircraft.

It's the safest type of engine ever built.

The engine's insides -

I'll explain the parts
from the front to the back.

So first, there's a sharp nose cone
on the front of the engine.

This is to improve the aerodynamic
flow into the engine.

This is to improve the aerodynamic
flow into the engine.

Next are the fan blades.

Each fan blade is made
out of four sheets of carbon fiber,

a strong but lightweight material.

It is also what the revolutionary
787 Dreamliner is made up of.

Then there's a huge pipe-looking
cylinder called the housing.

This part keeps the fan blades
from falling off

and gives the engine its unique shape.

Then there's the low pressure compressor.

This part receives a short burst of air
from the fan blades,

which drives the combustion fan.

Then there's the high pressure compressor.

It receives a massive burst of air
from the low pressure compressor

to drive the low pressure turbine,
which I'll explain later.

Then there's the compressor.

This is where the fuel and the air
are mixed and ignited with each other

to create forward motion
to the rest of the engine.

Then there's the high pressure turbine.

This is where the mixed air
gets blown into, to create -

it sends forward motion
to the fan blades at the front.

Then it also drives the fan blades
in the low pressure compressor,

which forces the combusted air
into the rear cone and out the back.

So how does the engine work?

The engine works by sucking in air
through the front.

It's compressed to 1/10 its original size.

Then the air and the fuel
are mixed and ignited.

This creates a small, controlled explosion

that turns the fan blades in the turbines.

And the mixed air
gets blasted out the back,

which creates the forward motion
to the bigger fan blades,

which shoves the uncompressed
air out the back.

So why do we need this engine?

Because it emits less greenhouse gases,

it has reduced
the number of safety issues,

it has saved a lot of fuel costs,

and it's extremely quiet
compared to other engines.

This engine is only used
on two types of aircraft:

the 787 Dreamliner,

the world's most luxurious
and advanced aircraft of the 21st century,

and the 747-8, the world's largest
passenger airliner

and the greenest too.

Both are made by Boeing.

But there are some problems.

Even though this engine
is sending us in the right direction,

there are a few drawbacks.

It is extremely expensive to make,

to build, and maintain.

It still emits greenhouse gases,
but not as much as others.

It is extremely easy to freeze up
or get too cold to produce thrust -

and are easy to break
if not maintained for properly.

Even though these problems are bad,
there are a lot of solutions.

As one of my favorite inventors said -

Wernher von Braun -

"I've learned to use the word
'impossible' with great caution."

So [we need] to create engines
that do not have any of these problems:

engines that do not get too cold
to produce thrust or to freeze up,

engines that are cheap
and easy to manufacture,

engines that are really tough
and hard to break,

and engines that have detailed
maintenance manuals with the construction.

Have a safe and fun time flying.

See you in the air.

(Applause)