A Compact Closed Cycle Gas Turbine for Marine Propulsion

A compact closed cycle gas turbine is described. The design was developed during the course of research conducted for the Office of Naval Research on the feasibility of lightweight, compact closed Brayton cycle systems (Contract N00014-C-0706). Emphasis was placed on applying the closed Brayton cycle to Navy high-speed ships currently under development and planned. These applications pose demanding requirements for compactness and light weight necessitating careful attention to the design of turbomachinery and heat exchanger components and their integration into the powerplant. The use of helium, with its propensity to leak at ducting joints, requires that containment integrity be provided without precluding access to plant components for maintenance. The design described meets these requirements by arranging the powerplant components in a closely integrated assembly within a completely enveloping pressure vessel. The research accomplished to date is discussed and the predicted power conversion system performance and characteristics are summarized.Copyright © 1979 by ASME