A New Durable Gas Turbine Recuperator

Abstract

A new recuperator has been developed at Rolls-Royce, specifically designed to address the problems recuperators traditionally experience in withstanding thermal cycling and high cost associated with production complexity. Unlike existing recuperators it is made from two continuous sheets of metal wound into a spiral form. It is believed to be the only recuperator in the world manufactured as a continuous process and therefore has inherently lower cost. A significant increase in thermal fatigue resistance relative to state of the art recuperators is achieved due to the compliant structure and careful design of the heat exchanger matrix. A technology acquisition programme has been carried out which has involved the design, manufacture and rig testing of recuperator cores. The success of the work is now leading to the continuation of the programme to address the application of this technology to specific engine developments from microturbines of 40kW to large industrial and marine turbines of 20MW.