Fuel Systems for the Aero-Gas Turbine

Abstract

DR. E. A. WATSON and his colleagues were associated with Air Commodore Whittle in the early development of the aero-gas turbine. A paper presented before the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on December 5 gives an account of the results of their researches into fuel systems for such turbines. In the first part of the paper, Dr. Watson deals with the methods used for ensuring that the correct quantity of fuel is supplied to the engine under all conditions of thrust and altitude. The desirable characteristics of fuel systems from this point of view are deduced in a logical way, commencing with a typical heat input-engine speed curve at given inlet pressure and temperature, which is then modified to take into account variation of inlet conditions. It is then shown that neither an approximately isochronous governor nor a constant-stroke fuel pump driven directly by the engine possesses the required characteristics. The remaining alternative is to define the fuel flow directly by the pilot‘s control, with a compensating device for attitude variation. The remainder of this part of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the methods employed to achieve this, illustrated by descriptions of the various devices which have been used.