ALBERT

Description: Average spanwise blade temperatures and cooling-air pressure losses through a small (1.4-in, span, 0.7-in, chord) air-cooled turbine blade were calculated and are compared with experimental nonrotating cascade data. Two methods of calculating the blade spanwise metal temperature distributions are presented. The method which considered the effect of the length-to-diameter ratio of the coolant passage on the blade-to-coolant heat-transfer coefficient and assumed constant coolant properties based on the coolant bulk temperature gave the best agreement with experimental data. The agreement obtained was within 3 percent at the midspan and tip regions of the blade. At the root region of the blade, the agreement was within 3 percent for coolant flows within the turbulent flow regime and within 10 percent for coolant flows in the laminar regime. The calculated and measured cooling-air pressure losses through the blade agreed within 5 percent. Calculated spanwise blade temperatures for assumed turboprop engine operating conditions of 2000 F turbine-inlet gas temperature and flight conditions of 300 knots at a 30,000-foot altitude agreed well with those obtained by the extrapolation of correlated experimental data of a static cascade investigation of these blades.

Description: A theory has been developed for resetting the blade angles of an axial-flow compressor in order to improve the performance at speeds and flows other than the design and thus extend the useful operating range of the compressor. The theory is readily applicable to the resetting of both rotor and stator blades or to the resetting of only the stator blades and is based on adjustment of the blade angles to obtain lift coefficients at which the blades will operate efficiently. Calculations were made for resetting the stator blades of the NACA eight-stage axial-flow compressor for 75 percent of design speed and a series of load coefficients ranging from 0.28 to 0.70 with rotor blades left at the design setting. The NACA compressor was investigated with three different blade settings: (1) the design blade setting, (2) the stator blades reset for 75 percent of design speed and a load coefficient of 0.48, and (3) the stator blades reset for 75 percent of design speed and a load coefficient of 0.65.

Description: Two short turbojet combustors designed for use with vaporized hydrocarbon fuels were tested in a one-quarter annular duct. The experimental combustors consisted of many small "swirl-can" combustor elements manifolded together. This design approach allowed the secondary mixing zone to be considerably reduced over that of conventional combustors. The over-all combustion lengths, for the two configurations were 13.5 and 11.0 inches, approximately one-half the length of the shortest conventional combustors. These short combustors did not provide combustion efficiencies as high as those for conventional combustors at low pressures. However, over the range of combustor-inlet total-pressures expected in aircraft capable of flight at Mach numbers of 2.5 and above, these short combustors gave very high efficiencies. A combustion efficiency of 97 percent was obtained at a combustor-inlet total-pressure of 25.0 inches of mercury absolute, reference velocity of 120 feet per second, and inlet-air total temperature of 1160 deg R. By proportioning the fuel flow between the manifold rows of can combustor elements, control of the combustor-outlet radial total-temperature profile was demonstrated. Combustor totalpressure loss varied from 0.75 percent of the inlet total pressure at isothermal conditions and a reference velocity of 75 feet per second to 5.5 percent at a total-temperature ratio of 1.8 and a reference velocity of 180 feet per second.

Description: This analysis investigates the application of gas turbine engines at a cruise Mach number of 4.

Description: A wind tunnel investigation was conducted to determine the performance of a 4000-pound-thrust axial-flow turbojet engine with a high flow compressor. Pressure altitudes included 5000 to 40000 feet with ram pressure ratios from 1.00 to 1.82. Altitudes included 20000 to 40000 feet and ram pressure ratios from 1.09 to 1.75. A comparison is made between engine performance with high flow and low flow compressors.

Description: A wind tunnel investigation was conducted to determine the performance of a turbine operating as an integral part of a turbojet engine. Data was obtained while the engine was running over full operable range of speeds at various altitudes and flight mach numbers, and with four nozzles of different outlet areas.A maximum turbine efficiency of 0.875 was obtained at altitude of 15 thousand feet, Mach number 0.53, and corrected turbine speed of 5900 rpm.

Description: Temperature and pressure distributions for an original and modified 3000 pound thrust axial flow turbojet engine were investigated. Data are included for a range of simulated altitudes from 5000 to 45000 feet, Mach numbers from 0.24 to 1.08, and corrected engine speeds from 10,550 to 13,359 rpm.

Description: A program was conducted in an altitude facility at the NACA Lewis laboratory to investigate the effects of rapid inlet pressure oscillations on the operation of a current turbo jet engine. These pressure oscillations were approximately sinusoidal in form and were generated to cover a frequency range of 2 to 75 cycles per second and an amplitude range of 10 to 70 percent of the free-stream total pressure. As the oscillation progressed through the compressor, the amplitude was attenuated considerably and a relatively large phase shift (lag) occurred. Engine stall limits obtained during pressure oscillations differed from quasi-steady-state stall limits as defined by over-all compressor pressure ratio.

Description: This report presents the results of the tests of a power-plant installation to improve the circumferential pressure-recovery distribution at the face of the engine. An underslung "C" cowling was tested with two propellers with full cuffs and with a modification to one set of cuffs. Little improvement was obtained because the base sections of the cuffs were stalled. A set of guide vanes boosted the over-all pressures and helped the pressure recoveries for a few of the cylinders. Making the underslung cowling into a symmetrical "C" cowling evened the pressure distribution; however, no increases in front pressures were obtained. The pressures at the top cylinders remained low and the high pressures at the bottom cylinders were reduced. At higher powers and engine speeds, the symmetrical cowling appeared best from the standpoint of over-all cooling characteristics.

Description: An investigation was conducted in the Cleveland altitude wind tunnel to determine the operational characteristics of an axial flow-type turbojet engine with a 4000-pound-thrust rating over a range of pressure altitudes from 5,000 to 50,OOO feet, ram pressure ratios from 1.00 to 1.86, and temperatures from 60 deg to -50 deg F. The low-flow (standard) compressor with which the engine was originally equipped was replaced by a high-flow compressor for part of the investigation. The effects of altitude and airspeed on such operating characteristics as operating range, stability of combustion, acceleration, starting, operation of fuel-control systems, and bearing cooling were investigated. With the low-flow compressor, the engine could be operated at full speed without serious burner unbalance at altitudes up to 50,000 feet. Increasing the altitude and airspeed greatly reduced the operable speed range of the engine by raising the minimum operating speed of the engine. In several runs with the high-flow compressor the maximum engine speed was limited to less than 7600 rpm by combustion blow-out, high tail-pipe temperatures, and compressor stall. Acceleration of the engine was relatively slow and the time required for acceleration increased with altitude. At maximum engine speed a sudden reduction in jet-nozzle area resulted in an immediate increase in thrust. The engine started normally and easily below 20,000 feet with each configuration. The use of a high-voltage ignition system made possible starts at a pressure altitude of 40,000 feet; but on these starts the tail-pipe temperatures were very high, a great deal of fuel burned in and behind the tail-pipe, and acceleration was very slow. Operation of the engine was similar with both fuel regulators except that the modified fuel regulator restricted the fuel flow in such a manner that the acceleration above 6000 rpm was very slow. The bearings did not cool properly at high altitudes and high engine speeds with a low-flow compressor, and bearing cooling was even poorer with a high-flow compressor.