RICARDO KERAMOS - A CERAMIC GAS TURBINE CONCEPT.

In 1970, Ricardo & Co Engineers (1927) Ltd of Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, completed a theoretical investigation which led them to conclude that, to be competitive with the conventional diesel engine, an automotive gas turbine would have to operate at 1550-1600 K, and that this would entail the use of ceramics for some of the components. The three-shaft regenerative turbine was selected as the most attractive. Compared with the two-shaft type, it gives better part-load economy. Two-stage compression has the advantage that an intercooler can be interposed between the stages to improve specific fuel consumption at high load. It also gives a better specific power output. For a unit of 260 kW power output, the high pressure gasifier rotor will be less than 80 mm in diameter. With rotors of such small diameter, the radial inflow type turbine is more efficient than its axial flow counterpart. As a first stage in the development, the rotors were designed for operation at speeds up to 1670 rev/s (100 000 rev/min) at temperatures up to 1000 K.