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Wave Rotor Topping Cycles
for Gas Turbine Engines
4 Port Experiment
There is current interest in using a wave rotor to enhance
the specific power, and reduce the specific fuel consumption, of
gas turbine engines. For this application, the wave rotor
would be used as a high spool, with air from the compressor
passing to the wave rotor and being compressed, then heated in
the combustor. It would then return to the wave rotor where it
would expand, and finally be sent to the turbine. The gas
entering the turbine would be at the same temperature as it
would be without a wave rotor, but its pressure would be
significantly higher. This increase in pressure is what gives
rise to the increased performance.
In order to assess the increase in performance that can be
achieved this way, it is necessary to know what pressure gain
can be created by a wave rotor. An experiment to measure this
has been installed at NASA Glenn Research Center. The rotor
diameter at passage half-height is 6.7 in., with a length of
10.5 in. In order to avoid having very high temperatures
(i.e. to avoid expensive materials), a combination of
electric heater to serve instead of the combustor, and chilled
inlet air are used to generate the appropriate temperature
ratios across the wave rotor. Measurements of the pressure
gain as a function of temperature ratio are currently being
made. First began in the fall of 1998.
Contact: Jack Wilson(QSS Group, Inc.)
email: Jack.Wilson@grc.nasa.gov
Project Contact:
Daniel E. Paxson
Phone: (216) 433-8334
email: dpaxson@grc.nasa.gov
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