Definition
The portion of a turbine engine, located between the compressor and the combustion section, where compressed air is collected and distributed before entering the combustion chambers. In some reciprocating engines fitted with a supercharger, the blower section is the part of the engine housing the impeller that compresses the fuel-air mixture before it is delivered to the cylinders.
Plain English
The part of an engine where air (or fuel-air mixture) is squeezed and pushed forward to the next stage. In a turbine engine, it sits just after the compressor. In a supercharged piston engine, it's where the impeller does the squeezing.
Context Anchor
Seen in descriptions of radial engines, supercharged piston engines, and engine maintenance discussions.
Derivation
From 'blower,' an old mechanical term for any device that forces air through a system. The name stuck because the section's job is exactly that — moving pressurised air onward.
Why Pilots Care
Understanding where the blower section sits helps a pilot follow engine performance discussions, especially when reading about supercharger operation, manifold pressure, or turbine engine airflow paths.
Intuition Check
Do not read “blower” here as a cabin fan or heater fan. In this term, the blower is part of the engine intake system that helps pressurize air for combustion.
Example Sentence 1
On the supercharged radial engine, fuel and air mix in the carburetor before passing through the blower section on their way to the cylinders.
Example Sentence 2
Power loss at altitude was traced to a worn drive gear in the blower section of the radial engine.