Matching Gas Turbine Propulsion Systems to Vehicles 680539
In the past decade a number of experiments by vehicle manufacturers and engine builders have been conducted to evaluate the capabilities of the gas turbine as the powerplant propulsion means.
All too often the choice of the turbine was limited to the availability of the existing models, regardless of the service for which it was designed. To this unit was attached a production transmission manufacturer.
Accessories, such as air cleaners, intake silencers, mufflers, and so on, were components often selected at random from existing stock items remotely related to turbine installations but offered to the automotive trade.
The total result of such a heterogeneous assembly failed to recognize the need for sensitive matching of all components to produce the desired over-all performance of the vehicle and failed to reveal the outstanding advantages of a fully matched gas turbine installation.
This paper reviews some of the presently known and tried gas turbine transmission and component problems and indicated trends toward advanced concepts in over-all matching:
1.
Significance is given to a review of some of the common installation and matching problems as related to vehicle requirements and their effect on the power packages.
2.
A comparison is made between the turbine and piston engine powerplant related to the trend toward more integrated systems. Comparisons show the gas turbine has inherent advantages and gives good promise for the future.
3.
Some indications are given of what may be expected with the advent of imminent “advanced” turbine systems that give markedly improved performance and have new features.
4.
A brief look is taken at new and more advanced turbine systems.
5.
New possibilities for the turbine powerplant are explored, in an appraisal of its future potentials.
