Chalmers University of Technology
Gas turbine technology – MTF 171
Tomas Grönstedt
[Link]@[Link]
Applied mechanics
Chalmers University of Technology
Why read the course ?
• Head of GE Europe about Scandinavia
• “Large pool of talented people that we can tap on to become part of our
organization”. Medical area, power generation, aircraft engine,
consumer finance
• As mechanical engineer, one should
know how a jet engine works?
– Apply thermodynamics and fluid mechanics
• Fun?!
• Master thesis opportunities
– Previous work include modeling
and diagnostics on: PW100 engine JT9D, GT10C,
Space launcher model, Cooled cooling in gas turbines,
weight estimation, environmental modeling
• Aerospace is no longer composed
of non-profit organizations Boeing is forecasting
– GNP increased 3.8% between 1960-1990, solid growth
revenue passenger miles 9.5 %
– 1990:ies GNP: 2.4% and RPM 5.7%
– Air traffic growth triple over next 20 years.
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Lecture 1 - overview
• Course introduction
– History of the gas turbine
– Course content – an overview
– Course evaluation process
• Revision of some elementary thermodynamics
• Gas turbine applications I
– Industrial gas turbines and aero derivatives
– Land and marine transport
– Aircraft propulsion
Chalmers University of Technology
History of the gas turbine
• 150 BC – Hero, Aeolipile
• 1232 - Chinese began to use rockets
as weapons (battle of Kai Keng)
• 1629 - Giovanni Branca developed a
stamping mill
Chalmers University of Technology
History of the gas turbine
1687 - Sir Isaac Newton
announces the three laws of
motion
1. Every object in a state of uniform
motion tends to remain in that
state of motion unless an external
force is applied to it (Galileos concept
of inertia)
2. F = ma
3. For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.
Chalmers University of Technology
History of the gas turbine
• 1872 - Dr. F. Stolze designed the
first true gas turbine engine
– multistage axial compressor and
turbine turbomachinery wideal c p T3 T4 c p T2 T1
– No net power output. compressor power
turbinepower output requiremen t
• Brayton cycle is loss sensitive!
Specific work output = w [J/kg] wactual c p T3 T4 a c p T2 a T1
= difference between two large decreases in increases in
real cycle real cycle
numbers
• 1903 - Aegidius Elling of
Norway built the first
successful gas turbine
– both rotary compressors and
turbines - the first gas turbine
with excess power.
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The Elling turbine
The process was built as follows:
atmospheric air enters through the
compressor B, from which a part of the
compressed air is bled off at C, constituting
the net power output from the engine. The
rest of the compressed air passes to the
combustion chamber D, where fuel is
injected, E. The hot gases under pressure
pass through a water cooler F before it enters
into the turbine T. The steam produced in the
cooler is mixed with the combustion gases in
front of the turbine. The mixture of
combustion gases and steam had a
temperature of about 400°C.
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The Elling Turbine
• On the 27th June • In 1933 Elling prophetically
1903 Elling wrote in wrote:
his diary: – “When I in 1882 started to
– “I think I have made the work on the gas turbine it was
world’s first gas turbine for the sake of the aeronautics
which has given excess and I firmly believe that
power” aeronautics is still waiting for
the gas turbine”
Chalmers University of Technology
History – gas turbine
• Sir Frank Whittle, England
patented a design for a gas
turbine for jet propulsion.
• The specifications of the first jet
engine were: Airflow=25 lb/s, Fuel
Consumption = 200 gal/hr or 1300 lb/hr, Thrust =
1000 lb, Specific Fuel consumption = 1.3 lb/hr/lb
• Powered the Gloster E28/39
Britain on 15 May 1941.
Chalmers University of Technology
History of the gas turbine
• In 1936:
– Hans von Ohain
(young Ph.D. student in
Germany) developed
and patented his own
engine design.
• In 1939:
– The aircraft company
Ernst Heinkel Aircraft
flew the first flight of a
jet engine propelled
aircraft, the HE178.
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Industrial gas turbines
• Industrial gas turbines?
– Aircraft gas turbine is
self-explanatory.
Industrial = the rest.
• Requirements for industrial
gas turbines
– Long required life (100 000
hours between major overhaul)
– Size and weight not as critical
as for aircraft gas turbine
– Kinetic energy leaving
the turbine is ”wasted”
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Marine and land transportation
• Gas turbine characteristics
– High power density
– High fuel consumption (for low pressure ratios and turbine inlet
temperatures) compared to Diesel engine
– Poor part load performance
– Low noise and low maintenance
Mainly successful in
– naval applications
– cruise ships
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Marine and land transportation
Example:
Max speed 36 knots, cruise 18 knots.
Power requirement ~ c V
3
Thus, cruise power approx. 1/8 of max power
• Combined cycles were developed to avoid part
load gas turbine inefficiency
COSAG = COmbined Steam And Gas
CODOG = COmbined Diesel Or Gas
COGAG = COmbined Gas And Gas
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Uses of combined configurations
• COSAG
– Only used on British military ships entering service between
1961 and 1973.
• CODOG
– Diesel has good cruise fuel economy, but bulkier and larger
underwater noise. Small cruise Diesel and a large boost gas
turbine is common.
• COGAG
– Frequent in destroyers (small, fast and lightly armored but
heavily armed warship)
– The first large vessels to use COGAG was the Soviet "KASHIN"
class in 1964 (design calculations appeared on 2003 exam)
Chalmers University of Technology
Naval ships
• Four LM2500 GE Marine Gas
Turbines (105,000 shp in total)
are used on the DDG-51
destroyer
– COGAG
– 31 knots (57 km/h)
• American navy
has more than
600 engines of the
LM2500 type
Chalmers University of Technology
The Millenium - why gas turbine propulsion ?
• Lower and easier maintenance
• Gain of volume and weight considerable (900 tons + 50 pax cabins +
20 crew's cabins)
• Lower noise and vibrations level => better comfort
• Reliable, one serious breakdown for 48,800 h.
(10 years of commercial exploitation)
Gas Electricity
• A factor of 1000 less need for lubrication's oil!
Steam
Electric power (propulsion + other) by combined cycle (COGES type): gas
turbines and steam turbines. Two main alternators (25 MW) are driven by two
gas turbines type LM2500. Each gas turbine is equipped with a recuperative
boiler which produces the necessary steam to drive a steam turbine (one for
the 2 gas turbines) used to drive 9MW alternator => The thermal output is
then 43% instead of 39% with gas turbine only.
The Millenium
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cruise ship
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Water jets
• Propulsive water jets range from small aluminum units handling
powers up to a few hundred kilowatts to stainless steel units with
ratings up to 50MW.
• As shown below they can be supplied with steering and reversing
systems or as boosters giving ahead thrust only
• Water pump connected
via drive shaft
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M1 tank – part load performance
• Power plant:
AGT-1500 Turbine, 1500hp
• Performance:
Maximum speed > 70 km/h
• 1% efficiency at idle!!!!
• High power-to-weight ratio
• Use CODOG for extended range
• LV100-5 gas turbine engine for
the M1A2. The new engine is
lighter and smaller with rapid
acceleration, quieter running and
no visible exhaust.
Chalmers University of Technology
Aircraft propulsion
• Gas turbines are the dominating power
plant for aircraft
– Piston engines restricted to niche market
(light aircraft)
• Three major types of engines:
– Turbojet (high speed flight)
– Turbofan (medium speed flight)
– Turboprop (low speed flight)
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Turboprop – the PT6
Pratt & Whitney Canada
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Turbofan engine
Fan diameter:
2.95 meters
Power A380
maiden flight
Thrust 338kN
(Trent 977)
Civil turbofan
(high bpr)
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Turbofan engine
RM12 engine powering the
Swedish GRIPEN fighter –
Military turbofan (low bpr)
Chalmers University of Technology
Learning goals
• Understand the steps in the slides on
thermodynamics
– Check Cengel and Boles
– Check revision questions on next page
• Know several different fields of application for
industrial gas turbines
– What is characteristic of a gas turbine engine when
compared with outer power plants?
• Know the main types of aircraft gas turbine
engines?
– Know which speed ranges that are suitable for the
different cycles?
Chalmers University of Technology
Revision questions - thermodynamics
• Derive cp=cv+R. Hint use definitions of cp, cv, h and
the ideal gas law.
1
dh dP T2 P2
R
• Complete the step: T P T 1 P1
cp
Use cp=cv+R and
cv
• Explain why the gas turbine cycle is very sensitive to
losses
