NEW AIR-DRIVEN TURBINE OFFERS LOW DRAG, HIGH EFFICIENCY

A small Nevada engineering company is developing a low-drag air-driven turbine that could provide significant auxiliary and emergency electrical power for fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and cruise missiles. Preliminary testing and analyses performed during the last two years have verified that the turbine is 2-3 times more efficient than an equivalent size two-blade propeller driven by relatively low air velocities. Early wind tunnel tests of a prototype turbine with a 1-sq-ft effective inlet area demonstrated 60-80% efficiency levels. For airline transports, the low-drag feature might permit the turbine to operate full time, providing auxiliary electrical power to aircraft systems during critical climb and routine cruise flight segments. By assuming some of the electrical loads normally carried by the engines, the turbine could contribute to substantial fuel savings on long distance flights, enabling engines to be operated at slightly lower power settings. A full-time configuration could be mounted aft of turbofan engines, recovering additional energy from the powerplant exhaust. Similarly, helicopters operating in high/hot conditions could use a gimbaled Aylor turbine (named after the developer, E.E. Aylor) to provide electrical power for avionics or flight control systems, which would again off-load the engines. Because the turbine only requires a limited source of moving air, the downwash from a helicopter rotor could drive a turbine from engine start through post-landing engine shutdown, if necessary.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: https://www.library.northwestern.edu/find-borrow-request/requests-interlibrary-loan/lending-institutions.html
• Authors:
  • Scott, W B
• Publication Date: 1988-10-24

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 72
• Serial:
  • Aviation Week & Space Technology
  • Volume: 129
  • Issue Number: 17
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0005-2175

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aircraft; Auxiliary power units; Development; Drag; Economic efficiency; Fuel conservation; Helicopters; Prototype tests; Research; Turbines
• Uncontrolled Terms: Efficiency; Emergency power supply; Research and development
• Old TRIS Terms: Fuel-saving devices
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Economics; Energy; Highways; Research; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00476930
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 31 1988 12:00AM