Gas Turbine a Stage Nearer
Page 41
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THE use of gas turbines in road vehicles will probably be brought a stage nearer by the construction in this country of turbines of Turbomeca design by Blackburn and General Aircraft, Ltd.,
These units are notable for their simplicity, compactness and light weight, and the power range of the Turbomeca free-turbine unit at 275-300 b.h.p. suggests that its first application to road vehicles would be in only the largest types, or special-purpose machines of the Mighty Antar class.
It is 3 ft. 4 in. long, 1 ft. 4 in. wide and
1 ft. 4 in. deep overall, so that there would be little difficulty in accommodating it in a chassis of normal dimensions. Details published in our associated journal, The Oil Engine and Gas Turbine, show that the unit has a specific fuel consumption of 0.98 lb. per b.h.p.-hr. and that the approximate weight is only 225 lb.
Other details given are as follows: Compression ratio 3.6 to 1; compressor speed, 35,000 r.p.m.; integral reductiongear ratio, 8 to I.
It is understood that the Blackburn company will build this unit for light aircraft and for industrial purposes, but it would seem to be an engine having possibilities for road vehicles.