A three kilowatt turboshaft engine with a ceramic recuperator and turbine has been designed for small unmanned air vehicle (UAV) propulsion and portable power generation. Compared with internal combustion (IC) engines, gas turbines offer superior reliability, engine life, noise and vibration characteristics, and compatibility with military fuels. However, the efficiency of miniature gas turbines must be improved substantially, without severely compromising weight and cost, if they are to compete effectively with small IC engines for long-endurance UAV propulsion. This paper presents a design overview and supporting analytical results for an engine that could meet this goal. The system architecture was chosen to accommodate the limitations of mature, cost-effective ceramic materials: silicon nitride for the turbine rotors and toughened mullite for the heat exchanger and turbine stators. An engine with a cycle pressure ratio below 2:1, a multistage turbine, and a highly effective recuperator is shown to have numerous advantages in this context. A key benefit is a very low water vapor-induced surface recession rate for silicon nitride, due to an extremely low partial pressure of water in the combustion products. Others include reduced sensitivity to internal flaws, creep, and foreign object damage; an output shaft speed low enough for grease-lubricated bearings; and the potential viability of a novel premixed heat-recirculating combustor.
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e-mail: michael.vick@nrl.navy.mil
e-mail: a.heyes@imperial.ac.uk
e-mail: k.pullen@city.ac.uk
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September 2010
Research Papers
Design Overview of a Three Kilowatt Recuperated Ceramic Turboshaft Engine
Michael J. Vick,
Michael J. Vick
Vehicle Research Section, Code 5712,
e-mail: michael.vick@nrl.navy.mil
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
, Washington, DC 20375
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Andrew Heyes,
Andrew Heyes
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: a.heyes@imperial.ac.uk
Imperial College London
, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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Keith Pullen
Keith Pullen
School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences,
e-mail: k.pullen@city.ac.uk
City University London
, London EC1V 0HB, UK
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Michael J. Vick
Vehicle Research Section, Code 5712,
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
, Washington, DC 20375e-mail: michael.vick@nrl.navy.mil
Andrew Heyes
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Imperial College London
, London SW7 2AZ, UKe-mail: a.heyes@imperial.ac.uk
Keith Pullen
School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences,
City University London
, London EC1V 0HB, UKe-mail: k.pullen@city.ac.uk
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. Sep 2010, 132(9): 092301 (9 pages)
Published Online: June 7, 2010
Article history
Received:
March 20, 2009
Revised:
August 18, 2009
Online:
June 7, 2010
Published:
June 7, 2010
Citation
Vick, M. J., Heyes, A., and Pullen, K. (June 7, 2010). "Design Overview of a Three Kilowatt Recuperated Ceramic Turboshaft Engine." ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. September 2010; 132(9): 092301. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4000585
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