Internally Fired Semi-Closed Cycle Gas Turbine Plant for Naval Propulsion

Abstract

An Internally fired semi-closed cycle gas turbine for Naval propulsion was designed and built for the U.S. Navy by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Due to a revision of the overall Navy propulsion program the plant was not tested at design conditions or mode of operation, but feasibility information for this configuration of gas turbine plant was obtained. Plant tests indicated that this cycle configuration can be expected to attain a significant reduction in shipboard space and weight requirements while matching existing conventional propulsion plant fuel and air consumption rates over a wide load range. The plant further is simply controlled to minimize manning personnel, permit bridge control, and has a brief transient period from cruise power to full load. Plants of this cycle configuration can be expected to produce large powers such as required for main ship propulsion while employing components of the size where considerable industrial experience has been accumulated. Fouling and corrosion of the internally fired, semi-closed cycle gas turbine were evaluated by the tests. Conventional gas turbine components are satisfactory for low sulfur fuel operation, and with additional precooler equipment development it is expected that high sulfur fuel operation will be achieved.