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History of the Industrial Gas Turbine Part 1 the First Fifty Years

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PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO REVISION PUBLICATION 582 the independent technical forum for power generation The History of the Industrial Gas Turbine (Part 1 The First Fifty Years 1940-1990) By Ronald J Hunt CEng FIMechE FIDGTE Thermal Power Consultant Power + Energy Associates Morpeth, United Kingdom IDGTE as a body is not responsible for statements expressed in any of its publications. Copyright by the Institution of Diesel and Gas Turbine Engineers. Founded in 1913 as Diesel Engine Users Association The Institution of Diesel and Gas Turbine Engineers, Bedford Heights, Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 7PH Tel +44 (0)1234 214340 Fax +44 (0)1234 355493 Email: [email protected] www.idgte.org This publication is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1956, no part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright owners. Enquiries should be addressed to: The Director General, IDGTE, Bedford Heights, Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 7PH. © Reserved by the Author The publishers are not responsible for any statement made in this publication. Data, discussion and conclusions developed by authors are for information only and are not intended for use without independent substantiating investigation on the part of potential users. For discussion at a General Meeting to be held at IDGTE, The Great Northern Hotel, Peterborough PE1 1QL at 14.00 hours on Thursday 20 January 2011 The History of the Industrial Gas Turbine (Part 1 The First Fifty Years 1940-1990) Ronald J Hunt CEng FIMechE FIDGTE Thermal Power Consultant Power + Energy Associates Morpeth, United Kingdom Preamble This account of the history of the industrial gas turbine documents the history of the development of gas turbines for land based, locomotive and marine applications. A key part of this history is the tabulation of the manufacturers and models produced by year since 1940. The aircraft engine is excluded from the scope of this work and only referred to in relation to the development of industrial machines. It has not been possible, up to the time of publication, to include every company who were active in the development of industrial gas turbine however the research work is continuing and it is planned to add to this history in due course. This paper (Part 1) deals with the first fifty years of development of the industrial gas turbine from 1940 to 1990. It is planned that a second paper (Part 2) will be presented later in 2011 covering the period 1990 onwards. The author recognises that whilst there are already a number of individual historical accounts concerning the development of the industrial gas turbine it hoped that this work will add a broader and more comprehensive perspective to the subject. One published book [53] makes the comment that this is a subject with as many opinions on who to credit developments to as there are engineering historians. This author endeavours to give a fair opinion on the credits due and to give due recognition. Acknowledgement and thanks are given to all the companies referred to for their permission to publish the material. Sincere thanks and appreciation is given to the many individual contributors for this work and all who have made significant efforts to support the work and given of their time to provide the data and reference material making this historical account possible. Special thanks are given to Steve Reed for his support and the extensive research he has carried out. In addition thanks are given to the numerous librarians and archivists who responded to so many enquiries and provided papers and documents on the subject. A list of acknowledgements is attached. The author wishes to thank the Council and Officers of the Institution of Diesel and Gas Turbine Engineers (IDGTE) for their support, encouragement and assistance in preparing this history especially members of the IDGTE gas turbine committee and the IDGTE heritage committee. In preparing this historical review every effort has been made to report the performance ratings at the time the various models were introduced. It is recognised that all turbine manufacturers are continuously improving gas turbine products in line with ever changing market dynamics therefore the purpose of the history is to illustrate the development history of gas turbines in general and not current ratings. Updates will be included in a later edition (Part 2). Note. This shortened version of the history has been prepared for presentation at the meeting of IDGTE to be held in Peterborough on 20 January 2011 and publishing in the IDGTE Journal “The Power Engineer”. It is planned that the full account of the history with extensive tables an specifications, including fully detailed contributions by the contributors, will be published in a book in due course. Ronald Hunt - 1 - Printed: 14/01/2011 Morpeth United Kingdom Paper 582 Version 2 List of Contributors The Author is indebted to all the following Contributors who have generously contributed papers, information, documents, books, photographs, and especially for sharing their experience and knowledge to make this history what is hoped will prove to be a useful and worthwhile work. John Marshall Anglesey, North Wales, United Kingdom Proteus Generating Set John Baker Austin Memories Austin Gas Turbines Richard Flatman Bedford, United Kingdom W.H. Allen Gas turbines John Kitchenman Bedford, United Kingdom W.H. Allen & RAE(B) Ivan Dean Burnley, Lancashire Lucas Aerospace Prof. Riti Singh Cranfield, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom Cranfield University Prof. Peri Pilidus Cranfield, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom Cranfield University Alan Young Clydebank, Scotland, United Kingdom John Brown Gas Turbines Eric Neal Derby, United Kingdom Rolls Royce Trust Graham Reynolds Ansty, Coventry, United Kingdom Rolls Royce Industrial Gas Turbines David Taylor Ansty, Coventry, United Kingdom Rolls Royce Industrial Gas Turbines Simon Newman Bristol, United Kingdom Rolls Royce marine Gas Turbines Trevor Wick Filey, Yorkshire, United Kingdom Metrovick Gas Turbines Brian Tucker Hampshire, United Kingdom RAE(B) Bedford Mike Dobson Bedford, United Kingdom RAE(B) Bedford Frank Carchedi Lincoln, United Kingdom Ruston/ Siemens Gas turbines Terry Raddings Lincoln, United Kingdom General Electric Gas turbines Richard Willows Newton Abbot, Devon, United Kingdom Centrax Gas turbines John Bolter Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom C.A. Parsons Gas turbines Ian Burdon Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Merz and McLellan Alan Jarvis Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Merz and McLellan Alain Foote Rugby, Warwickshire, United Kingdom English Electric Gas turbines Steve Reed Whetstone, United Kingdom Ruston/ English Electric Paul Evans Tanygroes, Ceredigion, Wales Museum of Internal Fire Willibald Fischer Erlangen, Germany Siemens Gas turbines Volker Leiste Erlangen, Germany Siemens Gas turbines Klaas Krijnen Rotterdam, Holland Steamship Rotterdam Foundation Tore Naess Kongsberg, Norway Kongsberg Gas turbines Tom L. Lazet San Diego, California, USA Solar Gas turbines Gerry McQuiggan Florida, USA Westinghouse Gas turbines Akio Suzuki Tokyo, Japan Secretary to ISO Committee 1. Introduction to the Industrial Gas Turbine It is clear that in the 19th Century the concept of the gas turbine became known to many engineers and the efforts of all the pioneers are well documented. In the early part of the 20th Century several trials took place. Early on it was recognised that this was a technological concept with huge potential being limited only by the state of art of associated technologies and the materials available at that time. By the late 1930s the concept of the gas turbine had been around for decades with articles already having being published and patents applied for up to 50 years ahead of the realisation of the goal. Experimental gas turbines had been around in various forms since the early 1900s and in a following chapter the efforts of the Pioneers is given the credit that they deserve. The question of who came first is also addressed. The early efforts to make the gas turbine work often resulted in disappointment as the poor efficiencies initially achieved meant that there was little incentive to take the idea further. Ronald Hunt - 2 - Printed: 14/01/2011 Morpeth United Kingdom Paper 582 Version 2 There was certainly no shortage of vision in the early 1900s, however, as is exampled by Captain H. Riall Sankey1 who, in his outstanding lecture on Heat Engines given to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in November 1917 [1], predicted the future role of the gas turbine. Sankey could see the continued dominance and development of the steam turbine for some time to come, which at that time had already reached 45MW. In his discussion about the future of power generation he says “…… steam turbines will hold the field for the large units ….… until a satisfactory gas turbine has evolved.” He also mentions that during the past 15 years (that is 1902-1917) “a few experimental turbines have been produced but so far there has been no progress.” On reflection what was in itself something really quite amazing was the effort of the British Government in the early 1940s to promote the development of the gas turbine. This effort was applied in so many fields, industrial as well as the aircraft industry. It was at this time that, Harold Roxbee Cox entered into the picture in his government role in charge of the Gas Turbine Collaboration Committee and then Chief Scientific Officer. The government effectively created a race and pulled into the fold all the established engineering companies pushing this with great determination. There is no doubt that it is Brown Boveri in Switzerland with their 4,000kW Neuchatel machine that is credited as being the first practical industrial gas turbine.
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