ESCHER WYSS CLOSED CYCLE AIRCRAFT POWERPLANT STUDY Part 1 Summary and Evaluation of Phase I

摘要

Various ducted fans driven by closed cycle gas turbines, were studied. For chemical fuels, two arrangements were considered for the combustion chamber containing the closed cycle gas heaters (a) as part- of a separate turbojet engine("external heat source"), and (b) as an afterburner in the ducted fan air flow ("self contained closed cycle engines")• For nuclear fuels the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor was considered the most likely heat source ("single loop system").nOne closed cycle powerplant with external gas heater was fairly completely designed. The component weights of this engine were used as a basis for weight estimates of the other engines. Two other closed cycle applications were briefly investigated* a high altitude secondary powerplant, and a boundary layer suction fan drive system.nThe closed cycle ducted fans using chemical fuels were found to be too heavy and complicated to be competitive with open cycle engines. The gas-cycle nuclear engine looked promising for subsonic and possibly for low supersonic propulsion. Further work on this was initiated. As secondary powerplants for future high altitude flight vehicles, closed cycle turbines promise to have a definite field of application