Royal Navy Experience of Propulsion Gas Turbines and How and Why This Experience is Being Incorporated Into Future Designs

Abstract

The Royal Navy (RN) has in-service experience of both marinised industrial and aero derivative propulsion gas turbines since the late 1940’s. Operating through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the British, Dutch, French and Belgian Navies the current in-service propulsion engines are marinised versions of the Rolls Royce Tyne, Olympus and Spey aero engines. Future gas turbine engines, for the Royal Navy, are expected to be the WR21 (24.5 MW), a 5 to 8 MW engine and a 1 to 2 MW engine in support of the All Electric Ship Project. This paper will detail why the Royal Navy chose gas turbines as prime movers for warships and how Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) guidance has been evaluated and developed in order to extend engine life. It will examine how the fleet of engines has historically been provisioned for and how a modular engine concept has allowed less support provisioning. The paper will detail the planned utilisation of advanced cycle gas turbines with their inherent higher thermal efficiency and environmental compliance and the case for all electric propulsion utilising high speed gas turbine alternators. It will examine the need for greater reliability / availability allowing single generator operation at sea and how by using a family of 3 engines a nearly flat Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) down to harbour loads can be achieved.