Rolls Royce - The Magazine Issue 139

ISSUE 139 DECEMBER 2013

Fleet renewal New aircraft for British Airways

Clean marine The first LNG-powered tugs are revealed

Super fast Gulfstream G650 is a world record breaker

Keeping cool Thermal system design and analysis

Rolls-Royce is a global company providing integrated power solutions for customers in aerospace, marine and energy markets. We support our customers through a worldwide network of offices, manufacturing and service facilities.

Welcome to the December issue British Airways introduces new aircraft into its fleet, the F-35B sea trials are underway and the world’s first LNG-powered tugs have been built and launched in Turkey. Plus, we head to Savannah to see the fastest business jet in the world. All this and more in the December issue.

For over 30 years the magazine has been highlighting how Rolls-Royce works closely with customers all over the world.

Providing power systems for use on land, at sea and in the air.

Seeking to be ‘trusted to deliver excellence’ in all we do.

We hope you find this latest issue both informative and entertaining.

David Howie Editor

rolls-royce.com

CONTENTS

inside the magazine

Editorial Board Tom Bell, Ian Craighead, Simon Goodson, Lawrie Haynes, Andrew Heath, Peter Morgan, Mark Morris, John Paterson, Colin Smith, Tony Wood Editor: David Howie david.howie@rolls-royce.com Design & Production: Hubert Burda Media UK LP Print: Pureprint Group Printed in England ISSN 0142-9469 © Rolls-Royce plc 2013 the magazine December 2013 Rolls-Royce plc 65 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AT England www.rolls-royce.com

2 BA – Energised Earlier this year British Airways took delivery of two new Rolls-Royce powered aircraft types and within a matter of days, the airline had successfully entered them into service.

21 Super fast from Savannah Rolls-Royce and Gulfstream have been working together on the world’s leading business jets for 55 years and the latest of these, the G650, has just claimed the round-the-world speed record for a non-supersonic aircraft.

8 New era in marine A new design of tug, fuelled purely by gas, and featuring a Rolls-Royce propulsion system, looks set to change the future for these workhorses of the shipping industry.

12 Keeping cool under pressure Jeff Dixon is a Rolls-Royce Associate Fellow in Thermal System Design and Modelling. Here, Jeff explains how he and his team analyse the operating efficiency of each component in a Rolls-Royce engine.

27 Built to last The industrial 501 gas turbine celebrates its 50th anniversary in service this year and is still going strong today.

30 RM60 world first The world’s first vessel, powered solely by gas turbine engines, went to sea 60 years ago.

Today it’s the power source that the world’s navies rely on for their surface ships.

16 F-35B sea legs In less than two years’ time, Lockheed Martin’s short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B will begin operations at sea. Trials have begun aboard the USS Wasp.

Front cover: Analysing operational performance using thermal system design and modelling.

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BA – ENERGISED ‘You wait for one and then two arrive together’, it’s an old joke about London buses but British Airways must have felt the saying was quite apposite earlier this year.

British Airways employees welcome their first Airbus A380 to London Heathrow.

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AVIATION

aving not had the challenge of incorporating a major new aircraft type into the fleet since the mid-1990s, it found itself accepting two within a week.

BA had planned to have at least 18 months between the arrival of its first Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 aircraft, but aircraft programme circumstances conspired against this and, in the end, they both arrived within seven days of each other last July. Within 18 days of receipt, the airline had successfully pressed both into active service.

Not that it troubled BA overly, they had been planning for the arrival of each of these very advanced and very different aircraft since the moment they placed the orders, five years ago.

However, that is not to underestimate the amount of preparation and work that went into the smooth introduction.

In BA Engineering, a programme designated ‘Engineering our Future’ was created to build the skills, infrastructure and capability within the airline, so that it would be in a position to extract the maximum possible benefit from the advanced technologies incorporated in both aircraft.

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The programme included re-shaping hangar layouts, changing power systems and, to cope with the size of the A380 in particular, structural modifications to the maintenance hangars. There was also a major training element for employees that included a change in working practices by optimising the use of mobile tablets and data devices. This reflected the increasing amount of data that would be available from the new aircraft via Boeing’s Aircraft Health Monitoring system and Airbus’s equivalent, AirMan. As the first major all-new airframe introductions since the arrival of the Boeing 777 in 1996, and the start of a major fleet renewal, these new aircraft had what BA describes as an ‘energising effect’ throughout the airline.

They came at a time when BA was already pulling together a number of initiatives to improve service delivery and customer experience. The new technology embodied in the aircraft certainly helped enhance that offering.

For the employees of BA, the aircraft are a visible signal of the airline’s commitment to the future, both modern, iconic aircraft having a catalytic effect and sending positive messages

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We genuinely value the relationship with Rolls-Royce.

throughout the airline.

This fleet renewal process is also significant in the further development of the relationship between BA and Rolls-Royce. Having been a long-term customer of Rolls-Royce, the new fleet cemented future business between engine supplier and operator. BA has so far ordered 24 Trent 1000-powered 787s and is finalising orders for another 18 firm 787s with options for a further 18, and 12 Trent 900-powered A380s.

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The 787 will represent a large part of the future BA fleet, with three variants of the aeroplane due to arrive that will form the backbone of the medium to long-haul services.

The A380, with its far greater capacity, is designed to service a smaller number of high-density routes.

BA does have a range of contemporary aircraft in its fleet already with the 777 and A320 families flying in large numbers, but it recognised that the step change in the digital

systems and composite content (of the 787) would be significant.

“These two new aircraft have massively different technologies. The 787 is composite in a large proportion of its structure and a lot of people are interested in that. However, the really interesting aspect of the plane as far as we were concerned was not its use of composites, but just how integrated the digital and electrical systems are – it’s essentially a flying network – with a much greater reliance on electronics than hydraulics or pneumatics,” says Garry Copeland, MD Operations for British Airways.

“So many of the components are monitored that the sheer amount of data we would receive meant we had to plan to update our understanding, our skill sets and ground systems capability in order to take advantage of the new systems. If we got this right, we knew the results would improve our maintenance capability to the benefit of the airline.

“Engineering our Future was a five year programme and a big investment for us in new hardware and training.”

Alongside the airframes, BA was also welcoming two new versions of the Rolls-Royce Trent family into airline operations.

“We have a long and deep relationship with Rolls-Royce, as we do with the other engine

Top left Garry Copeland, MD Operations for British Airways.

Below left Terminal 5 at London Heathrow is the home of British Airways.

Above Accompanied by the Rolls-Royce Spitfire, BA’s first Boeing 787 flies over the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby where the Trent 1000 engines that power it are made.

Below right Trent 900 engines on a BA Airbus A380.

manufacturers, but we did not choose our new engines because Rolls-Royce is local – we chose the Trent because Rolls-Royce makes good engines and has the right structure and support mechanism behind them.

“We also signed up for Rolls-Royce TotalCare® to help protect us from the risks that are inherent in introducing new engine types to our fleet. Minimising that risk is important when bringing new technologies from the marketplace into the airline but it’s a balance, as there is clearly more risk in the early days than later on when the engines are more established. We genuinely value the relationship with Rolls-Royce and we know these are complex and challenging machines to manage. We want the protection against risk but we also want a flexible engine care package for the future.”

planning and controlling the status of the aircraft relative to their maintenance schedule.

Importantly, engineering is also a link function to interact with the Civil Aviation Authority and other regulatory bodies in the airline industry.

BA has a comprehensive EASA ‘Part 145’ capability (the European Aviation Safety Agency regulation covering the maintenance and airworthiness of aircraft). At Heathrow, BA completes aircraft ‘A’ Checks, line maintenance, repairs and modifications. It has two additional heavy maintenance facilities: British Airways

Structure Over the years, Garry – formerly the Engineering Director – has seen many changes in the way that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as Rolls-Royce work alongside the airline. Engineering remains a fundamental part of the airline’s structure today, although it does its work through a balance of in-house and partnership outsourcing.

As a global airline, BA has always had a very capable engineering group – this goes back to its earliest days. Currently, around 6,000 people work in BA Engineering. They are managing the aircraft in the fleet, working with the OEMs and ISSUE139 5

Maintenance Cardiff performs heavy maintenance on wide body aircraft, while there is a similar set up at Glasgow Airport for narrow body aircraft.

In addition to these are a number of engineering support shops for avionics, mechanical systems and interiors based in the Heathrow and Cardiff areas.

“Overall, we have the ability to manage and maintain the BA fleet with the vast majority of that work being done in-house,” says Garry.

“We do so because we have invested in engineering as a capability for BA, to make sure it keeps competitive, is relevant and valid in a highly-competitive environment.

“We used to have the capability to do the engines too but we exited that back in 1992 so all our off-wing engine maintenance is now done by Rolls-Royce or GE. “Increasingly, we tend to take the view that the OEMs build good aeroplanes, we don’t get into demanding alternative options or bespoke items nowadays, we work collaboratively with OEMs to buy a good standard package.

“These days, whether it is engines or airframes, we feel that over-customisation is not a good thing as you have to bear the extra burden of cost to support that. In our opinion, it is better to be a very capable user of standardised aeroplanes than have a range of customised aircraft that are peculiar to our fleet, that we then need to manage in that way. If you go back a couple of decades, there was a lot more customisation but the technology and reliability of the basic vehicles has improved dramatically.

Benefits “Along with that reliability have come increasing benefits in fuel burn and lower emissions, which are also hugely important,” says Garry.

Looking even further ahead, the airline has committed to the new Trent XWB-powered Airbus A350. Rolls-Royce has stated that the Trent XWB is the most efficient large aero engine in the world and more than 1,600 engines are already on order. The new aircraft/engine combination flew for the first time this summer and the flight

British Airways will operate a fleet of 12 Rolls-Royce powered Airbus A380s.

Service Centre Rolls-Royce has opened a £50m London Heathrow Service Centre to provide round-the-clock specialist maintenance and support for aero engines.

The 95,000 square feet facility has a state-of-the-art engine workshop. It includes Trent 900 and Trent 1000 engines to support British Airways ‘Below the Pylon’ services.

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development programme continues with entry into service planned for 2014.

Garry Copeland feels that this aircraft will play an important role in the portfolio for BA as a replacement for the Boeing 747. “The A350-1000 has a combination of size and performance that fits into a useful future segment for us. It will be part of a new family of aeroplanes that give us options to reach locations we want to fly to effectively and with the right capacity.

“We will receive our first A350s from 2017.

Judging by the development programme, it is shaping up to be a very, very efficient aeroplane.

We have begun to plan for its arrival and certainly, once we feel the A380 and 787 are fully and successfully embedded in our day-today operations, we will transfer further engineering resource to pay more attention to the A350. However, the infrastructure changes will be minimal for it as our hangars are ready, so there is far less physical preparation for this type.”

The numbers and types of new aircraft

arriving will certainly provide a chance to strengthen the BA brand and its offering to customers and, of course, open new business opportunities.

BA continues to be one of the best known airlines in the world. There are parts of the world where BA has operated for a long time – such as the US and certain parts of Asia like Hong Kong and Singapore. The A380 is already flying to Los Angeles and Hong Kong. The 787 aircraft currently fly to Newark and Toronto.

As one of the most venerable airline brands in the world, it should be no surprise that BA takes a long-term view of the market. Even in the tough recessionary years since 2008, the airline has kept ordering aircraft and maintained its focus on providing a level of service that would ensure its reputation, no matter the market conditions.

“We operate in an immensely competitive business,”says Garry. “Globally, it’s been an interesting ride in the marketplace but certainly some parts of the world are doing better now. For example, the North Atlantic is

good. We have also actually slightly grown our net overall number of routes in the past few years as a result of incorporating BMI (British Midland International).

“We launch around 700 flights worldwide every day and each one of these is an opportunity to make a good impression or not.

We are very conscious of that and very aware that when customers buy a ticket with us they have placed great trust in us.

“They have a right to expect a standard of service, engineering and safety that comes with a name like British Airways. We are not lowcost, we are not the cheapest, and that’s not our ambition. We want to provide great value and be the very best we can be, while at the same time always ensuring a fundamentally safe service for our passengers and crew.”

Author: David Howie is Director of Brand for Rolls-Royce. He joined the company from a marketing consultancy and prior to that was a press officer.

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New era in

MARINE The latest Rolls-Royce marine technology is providing the power for the world’s first tugs fuelled by LNG.

o to any port or shipping terminal and you are likely to see smoke coming from the funnels of numerous harbour craft and escort tugs as they go about their business. Most of the world’s tug fleets operate close to shore, where emissions regulations are most stringent. But a new design of tug fuelled purely by gas, and featuring a Rolls-Royce propulsion system, looks set to change the future for these workhorses of the shipping industry.

Early in October, at a shipyard near Istanbul, the world’s first two gas-powered tugs were named in celebrations which brought together a progressive Norwegian tug operator, an ambitious Turkish shipyard and leading gas propulsion specialists and executives from Rolls-Royce.

The 35-metre escort tugs Borgøy and Bokn mark a watershed in service craft propulsion which many believe heralds the dawn of a new era in engine and fuel technology.

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The tugs were built by Sanmar Shipyard which is situated close to Istanbul in Turkey.

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Built by Turkey’s Sanmar Shipyard for Oslo-based tug owner Buksér og Berging which also designed the craft, each tug is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Bergen C-class engines fuelled by natural gas.

On completion of sea trials, the groundbreaking craft were due to sail to northern Norway. Early in 2014, they will commence long-term charter contracts with Norwegian state energy giant Statoil and are destined for deployment in escort duties at Europe’s largest export facility for natural gas liquids in Kårstø, the third largest in the world. There, they will assist in the safe manoeuvring and berthing of liquid natural gas (LNG) carriers, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) tankers and chemical carriers.

Working up to 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the new tugs will use their 65 tonnes of static pulling power and 100 tonnes of steering force to guide and manoeuvre some of the world’s most expensive cargo ships. These highly specialised deep-sea cargo vessels represent an

MARINE

increasingly vital link in the world’s energy supply chain.

More countries are consuming more natural gas and the global gas carrier fleet is growing fast.

Of course, natural gas is still a hydrocarbon and its combustion still results in carbon dioxide. But you won’t see any smoke billowing from the funnels of the Borgøy and Bokn when the new craft set about their service duties in Kårstø. That’s because the gas they burn contains no particulates, no SOx, very little NOx and about 25 per cent less carbon dioxide – gas fuel is ultra-clean.

That’s why the Norwegians like it. They have more reason to be concerned about air quality than most. Most of their people live in coastal communities stretching around the coast from Oslo in the south to Hammerfest in the north.

The first of the LNG-powered tugs is due to be delivered in early 2014.

Emissions Coastal shipping is an integral part of the country’s communications network. Ferries and fishing vessels are already running on gas as are a number of offshore support vessels serving North Sea installations and based at ports dotted along Norway’s coast.

But using natural gas as a fuel source for ships is not only about air quality on the coast. International ocean shipping is under pressure to clean up its act and stop kicking out large volumes of harmful emissions which, many believe, are contributing to climate change.

Until now, most ocean-going vessels and smaller coastal craft use various blends of fuel oil or marine diesel.

But fuel oil comes literally from the very bottom of the oil barrel, and while marine diesel is a little more refined, it still contains the pollutants which many climate scientists believe are affecting the planet’s atmosphere.

New fuel regulations from shipping’s regulatory body – the International Maritime Organization – will enter force in January 2015. More will follow. But burning

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Two US35 controllable pitch azimuth thrusters provide the propulsion.

The vessels are powered by two Bergen C26:33L6PG engines.

Celebrations all round It was a whole weekend of celebrations as representatives of Rolls-Royce, Sanmar Shipyard and Buksér og Berging, together with their guests, feted the world’s first two LNG-fuelled tugs powered by Rolls-Royce Bergen-class engines. The occasion was made all the more special because the date had been specially chosen to coincide with Buksér og Berging’s 100th anniversary.

For Turkey’s Sanmar – a family firm which operates and builds tugs and workboats – the weekend was the culmination of many months working closely with Rolls-Royce engineers to transform a new propulsion technology from theory into practice. Having overcome many challenges along the way, Sanmar Shipyard personnel were justly proud of the two beautiful tugs – Borgøy and Bokn – still in the shipbuilder’s fine under-cover construction hall and preparing for sea trials.

As well as the naming of the world’s first two LNG-powered tugs, Sanmar celebrated key steps in the construction of three other tugs including a terminal vessel, a berthing tug and a line-handling craft. And to cap it all, the shipbuilder announced a contract with Rolls-Royce for azimuth thrusters for no fewer than 12 new tugs being built for a variety of customers.

Ali Gurun, Project Director at Sanmar Shipyard expressed his delight.

“We have already built 50 tugboats equipped with Rolls-Royce thrusters and are very happy to sign this significant order.

This has been made possible not only by the robust design and quality of the products, but also with the great support of the local Rolls-Royce team here in Turkey”.

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gas ensures that new vessels can immediately meet all future emissions regulations.

There are other plus points for gas as a marine fuel. For the moment, at least, it is significantly cheaper than marine diesel and has calorific energy content about 15 per cent higher. Meanwhile, the world’s gas reserves have taken a quantum leap – if controversially – as huge volumes of shale gas have become viable at today’s high energy prices.

So why isn’t everyone switching to gas? Well, to be fair, dual-fuel engines – capable of burning both gas and heavy fuel oil – have been widely used on board ocean-going LNG carriers for years. But dual-fuel technology is complex and expensive. Bunkering facilities – fuel stations for ships – don’t usually offer natural gas for sale, although this is changing. Ship operators have therefore opted for fuel flexibility.

But service craft, like the Borgøy and Bokn, are usually based in one location – in this case, a huge gas distribution hub in northern Norway. There is no need for fuel flexibility there and, thanks to propulsion engineers at Rolls-Royce gas power now offers a more efficient and cleaner fuel for the future.

It is, for service craft operators, the dawn of a new era.

Neil Gilliver is President – Merchant, for the Rolls-Royce marine business, and is delighted to witness yet another vessel type to adopt LNG propulsion. He said: “The completion of these vessels is highly significant for Rolls-Royce, Sanmar Shipyard and Buksér og Berging. We are extremely proud to have worked together on this successful project.

“Gas is gaining in popularity as a maritime fuel, and its environmental credentials, combined with lower costs are seeing many operators select it over traditional fuels, across a range of ship types.”

Each vessel is powered by a pair of C26:33L6PG engines running on LNG giving a static bollard pull of 65 tonnes and a steering force of 100 tonnes, fed by a vertically-mounted 80 cubic metre LNG fuel tank and feeding power to two US35 controllable pitch Rolls-Royce azimuth thrusters.

We have already built 50 tugboats equipped with Rolls-Royce thrusters and are very happy to sign this significant order.

The liquid fuel is stored at minus 164°C and is pressure-fed from the storage tank to the engines.

Rolls-Royce, in conjunction with shipbuilder Sanmar, vessel designer and owner Buksér og Berging and class society DNV, built a complete redundancy design, by having two entirely separate engine and propulsion systems on board each vessel. A key feature has also been the development of an “inherently safe” gas-management system on board, with two barriers and fully ventilated spaces which can be sealed off in the event of an incident.

Gilliver is convinced that these first two vessels will pave the way for a flood of similar contracts for gas-powered vessels. Tugs and terminal service craft are obvious candidates, he says, but so too are a range of other workboats and offshore support vessels of various types.

Buksér og Berging Managing Director John Nielsen

has already revealed plans for more gas-powered tugs once the first two craft have demonstrated sound performance in daily operation at Statoil’s Kårstø Terminal in northern Norway.

And Gilliver reveals that he and his team are discussing opportunities with potential customers in Asia, Australia, north and south Europe and North America. Various types of craft are involved, including tugs and ferries. “The choice of owners to switch to gas is as much open to retrofit projects as well as new builds,” he adds.

“This tug concept – and ultimately the vessels themselves – have been a number of years in the making,” Gilliver declares. “They represent a significant milestone and are testament to the fine co-operation between owners, builders and propulsion engineers.

“There may be many more of these vessels to come,” he adds, “but the Borgøy and Bokn will always be the first tugs.”

Author: Paul Bartlett has spent more than three decades in international shipping. Today he runs his own shipping consultancy specialising in ship finance and technological innovation. He contributes regularly to a range of international shipping publications.

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KEEPING COOL UNDER PRESSURE As you stand at the airport gate looking down at the engines of the aircraft you are about to board, it’s hard to imagine that throughout your flight the physical properties of each component is constantly changing due to changes in temperature and pressure. verything changes when you move energy around,” says Jeff Dixon, Rolls-Royce Associate Fellow in Thermal System Design and Modelling. With colleagues in what he calls the ‘Rolls-Royce Thermals Community’ he has spent the last 20 years developing a world-class system for analysing and predicting how the engine changes as very hot air and exhaust gas pass through it.

“Most metals expand with increases in temperature,” says Dixon, “and because we make our engines of a variety of materials, each suited to a particular duty, those different materials operate at different temperatures and expand at different rates.”

This has two implications for Jeff and his colleagues.

Firstly, they need to be able to predict the interrelated behaviour of key components at high temperatures to allow the most efficient engine design possible.

Dixon uses the compressor system to illustrate his point. The compressor casing expands and contracts over the course of a flight as a consequence of the material from which it is made and the temperature

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The software developed by Rolls-Royce is five years ahead of any commercially available equivalent.

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to which it is exposed. Inside the casing, the rotor, the disc and the aerofoils, all made of different materials, operating at different temperatures and responding to heat at different rates, are also all expanding and contracting. By being able to model and predict this behaviour, designers can minimise the gap between the rotor and the casing. “The sorts of clearance that we need to maintain the performance and stability of the engine,” says Dixon “is in the region of ten thousandths of an inch.” These tight tolerances are essential to operate at higher pressure and burn less fuel.

In predicting the interrelated behaviour of key components at high temperatures, the team also have to account for what happens when the engine is mounted on the wing.

Engines are subjected to significant mechanical flight loads – gusty conditions, extreme weather and the demands of take-off and landing and because they are as light as possible that makes them flexible. This means designers also need to factor in the impact of mechanical effects caused by the airframe. “It’s one thing to have an engine that can perform reliably on a test bed, but our engines have to perform reliably in all sorts of extreme conditions.”

The second key role that Jeff and his colleagues in the thermal analysis community play is to make the temperature predictions which allow the integrity and life of components to be accurately and safely predicted and the customer’s routine maintenance planned.

“A ten degree change in temperature on some components, for example a turbine disc can halve its life. Instead of meeting a standard scheduled overhaul, it would need to be replaced early causing a significant impact on life-cycle costs.”

To make these predictions of temperatures and displacements, Dixon uses a range of methods, mathematical models, computer systems and software. These models are then validated with empirical measurements made on representative hardware, e.g. an engine test, or, in what he describes as, “a revolution in the heat transfer world,” by means of more

PROFILE

sophisticated predictive computer modelling.

Solving the equations which describe how heat transfers by conduction is relatively straightforward. However, in the intricate geometry and environment of a gas turbine, these calculations quickly become very complex and have to account not only for conduction but also for convection and radiation, making them impossible to resolve by hand.

Analysis Here, computer systems and software have a role to play.

One method used is finite element analysis. This breaks the component or system being studied into lots of separate smaller parts, like a grid. Using a very powerful computer, the relevant equations for each element in the grid and its neighbours are solved and the data from each set of calculations aggregated until a complete picture is obtained of how heat transfers through and across the entire component and interacts with the components around it.

Another important tool is Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). CFD allows the air flow over a moving object, such as an aerofoil, to be visualised. This requires significantly more ISSUE139 13

complex calculations, once again the shape of the object being studied adds complexity and once again significant computing power is needed.

CFD answers two of a heat transfer specialist’s most important questions – where does the cooling air go and how does it affect the temperature, and therefore the behaviour, of the components over which it flows?

Around the year 2000, a colleague of Dixon’s, John Verdicchio, then a recent Masters graduate, had the idea of coupling the heat flux calculations from the CFD model with the heat conduction solutions of the Finite Element Analysis.

This was a breakthrough moment. Dixon believes that this coupled CFD/FE method is an order of magnitude more computationally efficient than that used by competitors. He is not alone in this. External software suppliers have told Rolls-Royce the company’s software is five years ahead of anything they have currently commercially available.

This work has developed over the last 12 years through close cooperation with Rolls-Royce University Technology Centres at Sussex and Surrey to a point where, according to Dixon, “in some important applications our prediction capability with this methodology is as good as our measurement capability. This means we can now predict in the design phase much more reliably how a component will behave, what temperature it will reach and how much cooling air it needs.” As a consequence, Rolls-Royce needs to make fewer modifications to the design during the engine’s development phase.

This methodology is not restricted to the gas turbine arena.

Application of this technology to a nuclear power station boiler heat

shield design allowed Rolls-Royce to demonstrate significant capability in this area and win a substantial new contract.

A very important part of temperature prediction is the validation process. Temperature has a profound effect on the integrity and mechanical behaviour of the engine. As a result, manufacturers have to be confident in the accuracy of their temperature predictions. This has traditionally been done by an engine test where thermocouples are used to measure component temperatures during a complex cycle of acceleration and deceleration. These tests can cost well over a million pounds and in many new projects on large civil engines up to three tests are needed before an engine can be adequately validated for its full service life.

So good has the Rolls-Royce predictive technology become that the company has been awarded a US patent for a coupled CFD/FE method for producing a ‘virtual engine test’ with a virtual thermocouple technique. This technology is starting to be recognised by the certification authorities as an alternative means of compliance with the regulations governing gas turbine integrity. There are planes flying today, the engines of which have been validated with the help of this sort of approach.

The sorts of clearance that we need to maintain the performance and stability of the engine, is in the region of ten thousandths of an inch.

Top right One of Jeff’s team at work.

Right an example of thermal analysis.

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Revolution For Dixon, this represents “a revolution in the heat transfer world and the first major change in a couple of hundred years. We are moving away from empirical correlations which essentially require lots of testing to support their use to validated methods in which we can be sufficiently confident and, in some cases, not to require a test. So it’s taking validation

by analysis to a new level in the heat transfer world.”

The next step for Dixon is the development of improved three dimensional (3D) Thermo Mechanical Models of the whole engine. This will allow designers to explore the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the engine’s static and rotating parts relative to one another throughout the different operating states of the engine. A whole engine model might have ten million elements and take two weeks to run on a high performance computer cluster – equivalent to hundreds of desktop PCs. As component geometry changes, the computer requirement increases significantly. According to Dixon: “We are only now getting the sorts of computers which can handle a model of this complexity.”

The latest of these thermo-mechanical whole engine models, for the Trent XWB, was completed about the same time as the hardware reached the test bed. In future, the aim is to have a completed model in the design phase. This will allow designers to experiment with different elements of the design and find the optimum configuration prior to development.

Dixon is ‘hooked’ on the creative aspects of ‘design by analysis.’ He enjoys the combination of longer term strategic planning for capability improvement, through research, skills development, and knowledge management; with the excitement and motivation that comes from being able to apply this knowledge to meeting the technical challenges of current engine programmes and designing the gas turbines of the future.

Keen to credit the role of “the pioneers of Finite Element and CFD Analysis, and the collaboration of very bright individuals across the company and at the UTCs,” he downplays his own role in the development of a world-class modelling capability currently five years ahead of the commercial software suppliers.

Author: Simon Kirby consults and lectures in marketing communications with a particular interest in technology.

He has worked in communications roles extensively in both the public and private sector.

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F-35B SEA L In less than two years’ time, the first US Marine Corps (USMC) combat squadron will begin operations at sea using Lockheed Martin’s short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B. This makes the USMC the world’s first frontline operator of the aircraft.

s the new-generation replacement for the Marines’ trusty fleet of AV-8B Harrier II combat aircraft, the Joint Strike Fighter promises to give Marine Expeditionary Units additional punch, including from the decks of its LHD-class amphibious assault ships.

In a determined strategy which reflects its enviable reputation in combat, the USMC has set an aggressive timetable for introducing the F-35. Current plans call for it to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) status with a first

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combat-ready squadron of up to 16 jets between July and December 2015.

With the clock fast ticking down towards the stealthy fighter’s introduction, the process of preparing marine units to receive their new STOVL aircraft is at an increasingly advanced stage. A first operational squadron was stood up in November 2012, with VMFA-121 having previously operated Boeing F/A-18 Hornets from its home base in Yuma, Arizona.

The USMC also faces a critical need to prove the maritime credentials of the F-35B, even as development and testing

of the model continues.

An integrated test force, comprising military and industry personnel from the US and lead programme partner nation the UK, made great strides towards maritime proving during August 2013, when two trial aircraft were deployed aboard the USS Wasp (LHD-1) for a second intensive period of embarked flying.

Intended to significantly expand the F-35B’s flight envelope while operating from the vessel, the deployment was intended to build on the impressive results reported following a first series of such

EGS

DEFENCE

flights, which had been conducted from the same ship in October 2011.

Dubbed Developmental Test II (DT-II) and performed off the coast of Maryland, US, the 18-day activity had at its heart the objective of giving the F-35B’s Rolls-Royce LiftSystem® propulsion system its toughest test yet. Indeed, by the end of the deployment, work to expand the STOVL type’s embarked operating envelope performance under head, tail and crosswind conditions had surpassed that of the AV-8B that it is to succeed.

Utilised During DT-II, Joint Strike Fighters BF-1 and BF-5 performed a combined total of 94 short take-offs from the Wasp’s flight deck, and 95 vertical landings. In a key advance, these included the first – followed by 18 more – to have been performed at sea during the hours of darkness. This work followed preparatory flights, which had been conducted at the US Navy’s Patuxent River test site in Maryland.

“We’re providing an envelope that will be utilised by Marine Corps and UK aviators when they go out and employ the aircraft in a real environment,” said US Navy Capt Erik Etz, director, test and evaluation for F-35 naval variants.

For the first time, the pair of test aircraft were also operated from the ship’s deck while carrying a mix of inert air-toair missiles and precision-guided bombs

A F-35B hovers over the deck of USS Wasp.

ISSUE139 17

within their internal weapons bays.

Operating from the deck of an LHD vessel presents a challenge for fixed-wing aircraft, with its flight deck being just short of its total length of 257m (844ft).

A series of minor modifications were made prior to the DT-II campaign, including the movement of some lights and sensors and, the application of a Thermion composite coating, which protects against the heat created by the JSF’s main F135 engine when thrust is angled down towards the deck.

The F-35B’s crucial Rolls-Royce LiftFan®, which is installed within the fuselage behind the aircraft’s cockpit and activated during take-off and landing, generates the equivalent power of an EJ200 turbofan from a Eurofighter Typhoon, at more than 20,000lb dry thrust. A two-stage, counterrotating fan some 50 inches in diameter, it forms just part of the innovative LiftSystem propulsion suite designed and built by Rolls-Royce at sites in Bristol, UK and Indianapolis, US.

Stability Aircraft stability comes from the use of a three-bearing swivel module attached to the rear of the F135 engine, which sends up to 18,000lb of thrust down through a maximum of 95˚. Two roll posts installed within the strike aircraft’s wing each pass a further 1,950lb of thrust. Other LiftSystem elements include the STOVL fighter’s clutch, driveshaft and gearbox.

18 rolls-royce.com

Used in combination with flight control software and drawing on work such as the exhaustive testing made with QinetiQ’s unique VAAC Harrier demonstrator aircraft, the act of performing vertical landings has been dramatically simplified.

One of several UK and US test pilots to have been involved in the DT-II campaign, Royal Air Force Sqn Ldr Jim Schofield described the task of completing a nighttime vertical landing in the F-35B as being “a breeze”.

Experienced The protection provided by the STOVL variant’s propulsion system is a particularly welcome aspect of the Lightning II programme, for even the most experienced former AV-8B operator. USMC test pilot Maj Michael Rountree explains the contrast in graphic terms, saying: “I could do things in the Harrier that would very specifically get me killed if I did them incorrectly, whereas in this aeroplane there is a level of protection between me and those flight control surfaces.”

Ex-Royal Navy Sea Harrier pilot Pete “Wizzer” Wilson, who has spent the last decade working as a test pilot for F-35 partner company BAE Systems, echoes Rountree’s praise.

Despite its apparent mechanical complexity,

the F-35B’s propulsion system excelled during DT-II. For Rolls-Royce, the LiftSystem delivered a 100 per cent availability with none of the activity’s planned flights having been cancelled as a result of issues with the STOVL equipment.

That already looks like good news for the USMC, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, which will begin working up the UK’s new carrier strike capability from the deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth in around 2018. Other future users of the B-model JSF are to include the Italian Air Force and

Navy, while F-35 programme security co-operation participant Singapore has also been described as interested in acquiring the STOVL variant.

Much work still remains before the USMC can make the step towards declaring IOC with its new-generation combat aircraft, and a future, third phase of embarked testing must also be performed to fully demonstrate its maritime credentials. But following the service’s most recent series of such flights, it is on course to receive a significant jump in capability.

Just under 100 take-offs and vertical landings were undertaken during the latest round of tests.

ISSUE139 19

OUR REP ON DECK “Strong sea legs an advantage” might not be high on the list of expected requirements for an engineer working on one of the Rolls-Royce aircraft engine programmes, but it’s a trait that definitely has helped Alan Roberts in doing his job linked to the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. As the lone Rolls-Royce engineer field consultant to have embarked aboard the USS Wasp for a recent test campaign with the short take-off and vertical landing type, Roberts was on call throughout the entire 18-day activity. Working alongside a handful of personnel from F135 and overall propulsion system supplier Pratt & Whitney, his responsibilities included being on hand to intervene should any technical issues arise with the F-35B’s LiftSystem.

“I was there to provide guidance if anything came up in real time,” he says, with other responsibilities having included support pre- and post-flight inspections. Compared with a first developmental test campaign in October 2011, this requirement was more of a challenge, and needed “a lot

20 rolls-royce.com

more co-operation”, due to the multitude of other personnel – such as armaments staff – who needed to access the jet.

For Roberts, the experience was a good one. “The LiftSystem performed very well: we found no anomalies during the flying,” he says. Deploying the two test aircraft aboard the vessel also provided an opportunity to monitor whether operating them in a salt-laden environment would have any effect on the F135 engine’s gas path.

Roberts, who also was aboard the Wasp for the DT-I test programme, sums up the advances made within the intervening two years. “The first time was almost a proof of concept, and just demonstrating that we could do it. This time we have expanded to the initial operational capability flight envelope. It was much more operational.”

Author: Craig Hoyle is a defence editor for Flight International and has reported on defence aerospace programmes since 1996. He has been reporting on the F-35 programme for more than a decade.

AVIATION

SUPER FAST

FROM SAVANNAH When Gulfstream announced last month at the NBAA business aircraft show that its new G650 had claimed the round-the-world speed record for a non-supersonic aircraft, were we impressed? Yes. Surprised? No.

issue139 21

fter all, Gulfstream’s new baby is the fastest civilian aircraft in service. It can operate at Mach 0.925 or 610mph.

To beat the previous record the Gulfstream crew flew the aircraft at an average speed of 568.5 miles per hour, circumnavigating the globe westbound in a time of 41 hours and 7 minutes.

It’s no doubt great to have the record – it does not do the marketing any harm – but Gulfstream is probably even more delighted with the feedback the company has been receiving since its newest, largest, fastest and most expensive long-range jet went into service.

There are more than 30 G650s flying at present and according to Kurt Erbacher, Vice President G650 Program for Gulfstream: “Everybody flies this aeroplane fast and the feedback is phenomenal, not just about the speed but also how quiet it is. This has been the best EIS (entry into service) we have ever seen.”

Gulfstream gets daily statistical returns on each of the G650 aircraft in service through a new product, PlaneConnect, an expanded aircraft health monitoring system that works in concert

A

with the enhanced Rolls-Royce CorporateCare® programme for the G650.

For Rolls-Royce too, the record and the in-service performance is great news. A vindication of the work that the airframer, and its engine partner, put into developing this premium long-range business jet. Rolls-Royce specifically developed the BR725 turbofan for the aircraft. It’s the latest and most powerful member of the two-shaft BR700 engine family.

Limitations “The engine is the most critical system on the aeroplane,” says Erbacher. “Our challenge to Rolls-Royce was to give us an engine with the right amount of thrust that meets SFC (specific fuel consumption) requirements, meets or beats the weight limitations and could be certified before we begin the flight test programme. They did that. I have to say that Rolls-Royce hit a home run.”

It has taken a decade since Gulfstream first began to consider its new product to bring it to fruition and into service. And the market has welcomed it with open arms. Gulfstream has more than 200 firm orders on the books and a busy production line that will be busy

through 2017 and beyond.

It’s a great position to be in and certainly indicates that once again the business jet maker has judged the market just right – even when parts of the global economy continue to be in recession.

Gulfstream began a consultation process with its Advanced Technology Customer Advisory Team (ATCAT) back in 2004 to begin to get a feel for what customers were seeking. The ATCAT was made up of a mixture of long-term customers and new ones, pilots, flight attendants and maintenance crews.

“We got consistent feedback from our customers. The number one development point on the list was a wider cabin, next came speed and then range of the aircraft,” says Erbacher.

After the research came the design and concept stage, visualising what any new generation aircraft could look like. During this stage Gulfstream continued to share their thoughts in regular meetings with the ATCAT to ensure they were on the right lines.

In terms of key milestones the concept design work started in 2003, the ATCAT discussions took place a year later and Gulfstream announced the new aircraft in

Gulfstream’s headquarters are in the southern us, close to pretty savannah, Georgia.

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Kurt erbacher, Vice President G650 Program for Gulfstream.

The engine is the most critical system on the aeroplane. I have to say that Rolls-Royce hit a home run.

2008. The first flight was in 2009, FAA certification was gained in 2012 and the first customer took delivery of a G650 in December last year.

Gulfstream pays tribute in this development process to the patience and support of its parent company, General Dynamics.

Development work continued in the face of a global recession that began in 2008. Although Gulfstream stands out as the only commercial business unit in a defence-orientated parent group, the business jet maker believes that it benefits from the long-term approach that General Dynamics takes to product development. Research and development on the new aircraft was maintained despite the market conditions that prevailed at the time.

Apart from taking that long-term view of the market, Erbacher also points out the need to ensure that you have understood how, and

what impact, any new model may have on your existing range. Differentiation in terms of cabin dimension, speed, range and ultimately price, ensured that the G650 would successfully carve out its own market position.

The aircraft has the longest range available in the business jet market at 7,000 nautical miles when flying at Mach 0.85. At Mach 0.9 it is capable of 6,000nm. That means if you were flying from New York with eight passengers on board you can go direct to Tokyo or Beijing, reach Cape Town at the foot of Africa, all of Europe and all of the Middle East.

During flight demonstrations for example, the G650 flew Washington DC to Doha in 11 hours 40 mins; Shanghai to New York in 13 hours 32 mins and, Chicago to Beijing in 12 hours 49 mins.

And those routes matter, as international business is now critical to the business jet issue139 23

• Gulfstream employees at work at the savannah facility.

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Rolls-Royce and Gulfstream have been working together on the world’s leading business jets for 55 years: Gi, Dart engines; Gii, spey engines; Giii, spey engines; GiV, Tay engines; GV, BR710 engines.

Gulfstream’s home base and worldwide headquarters in savannah, Georgia, were built in 1967; today Gulfstream employs around 9,000 people there.

The company built a new dedicated manufacturing facility at savannah for G650 production.

Gulfstream offers worldwide support from 11 company-owned centres and a wider affiliated network service operation. it has $1.4 billion worth of spare parts positioned and available worldwide.

A 24-hour technical support team is available and two G150 aircraft are dedicated to flying anywhere in North America as a rapid response unit to support customers.

Gulfstream outfits all its own aircraft interiors from five bases: savannah and Brunswick, Georgia; Appleton, Wisconsin; Long Beach, California and, Dallas, Texas.

• • • • • •

30 minutes, 90 per cent of them are, and can be.”

Rolls-Royce also worked with Gulfstream and its customers to enhance the Rolls-Royce CorporateCare programme for the BR725 engine on the G650. The already comprehensive CorporateCare programme was further developed to include alternative lift aircraft for any unscheduled engine events as well as A and C check labour. When CorporateCare is combined with Gulfstream’s PlaneParts and PlaneConnect aftermarket services they enable the G650 to be operated very cost effectively.

In the cockpit the G650 has advanced avionics based on Honeywell’s Primus Epic suite. The aircraft has multi-function displays, an enhanced vision system, head-up display, 3-D weather radar, together with other operational and approach systems that reduce pilot workload and increase

market. Traditionally North America has represented the biggest chunk of any new Gulfstream’s order book but the G650 has also broken that mould. More than 50 per cent of the Gulfstream backlog is international with a significant amount from Asia Pacific.

Another mould broken by the new airframe was the traditional Gulfstream fuselage. This was a big deal for a company that has stayed with the same circular fuselage shape and diameter on every Gulfstream product since the GII, which was introduced in 1967.

Challenge To get the height and width required the company opted for an elliptically-shaped fuselage. It provides an interior cabin height of 1.91 metres and a cabin width of 2.49 metres.

Next came an increase to the dimension of the iconic Gulfstream oval windows. The G650 features eight windows on each side of the fuselage that are significantly larger than those on its sister G550.

According to Erbacher though, the biggest challenge the company faced in the development was the introduction of the threeaxis fly-by-wire system. “We have never certified an aeroplane with this before but we wanted it because we knew it would help aircraft

Everybody flies this aeroplane fast and the feedback is phenomenal.

performance and customers wanted it from an ease-ofmaintenance standpoint.”

As well as new systems, Gulfstream was also exploring a much greater use of new composite materials on the G650 (the horizontal stabiliser for example is all-composite) and were seeking to reduce the number of parts by employing bonding technology rather than rivets in final assembly. The G650 in fact has 50 per cent fewer parts overall than the G550 despite being a bigger aircraft.

“For the first time ever we set up a cross functional team to develop our new product.

We drew together all the assets of the company working on the programme and placed them in a dedicated building so that they could collaborate easier and quicker. This focused approach was new to us but it really helped in ensuring that design engineering and manufacturing worked together and in fact no digital engineering design model was ever released until manufacturing had signed off on it too.

“It also helped in developing innovations for easier maintenance when the aircraft entered service. We set out to ensure that the LRUs (line removal units) were effectively modular and could be changed in less than

information during flight.

In the cabin, passengers get to experience the largest purpose-built business jet on the market. Sound levels are extremely quiet and the cabin altitude experience is at the equivalent of between 3,000 and 4,850ft, remarkable when you consider the aircraft cruises at 41,000 – 50,000ft. That helps the flying experience and significantly reduces the potential for jetlag.

innovation Another new innovation is the Cabin Management System which operates from an iPhone or tablet via a Gulfstream-developed app. This controls everything in the cabin that the passenger requires, from sound and vision systems to temperature and much more.

Anyone can download it free from iTunes although the catch is you will also need to add a Gulfstream G650 jet to the package to make it viable.

As for the BR725 engine, well, Gulfstream feels it has delivered on all its criteria. “The engine is underweight and it beat the range and SFC criteria we set. It’s 10 to 17 per cent issue139 25

The Gulfstream G650 is powered by the BR725 engine.

more fuel efficient than other ultra-long-range business jets and has very low NOx and CO2 emissions. During the development programme we talked to the Rolls-Royce team every day and we had programme and technical reviews once a week.

We also had Rolls-Royce engineers working with us here in Savannah. We spoke continuously with Rolls-Royce and the results were that the team exceeded expectations,” says Erbacher.

For Rolls-Royce, Russell Buxton, President Civil Small and Medium Engines, adds: “The design requirements were challenging.

The engine needed to be highly efficient in terms of weight and fuel consumption, and the continuing environmental pressures required cleaner and quieter operations. The engine was designed to comply with any future envisioned environment requirements.”

For Gulfstream too, the reduced environmental imprint of the aircraft was an important consideration. With aviation consistently coming under scrutiny, the airframer was determined that its new business jet product would be lower in fuel

26 rolls-royce.com

consumption, emissions and noise.

Gulfstream has also done flight tests using bio-fuels on its G650, G550 and G450 aircraft, including trans-Atlantic operations. “If that’s the way customers want to go then we help them do it but there are other considerations to be taken into account including the demand and supply of such fuels,” adds Erbacher.

The interiors are all bespoke and the cabin environment can be controlled from an iPhone or tablet.

Ultimately though, the G650 will be judged on its value as a business tool and Gulfstream is convinced that this is how the majority of its customers assess the aircraft. By living up to its fast, efficient, comfortable and reliable billing, the business people who employ the G650’s services will get everything they want from Gulfstream’s latest record breaker.

Author: David Howie is Director of Brand for Rolls-Royce. He joined the company from a marketing consultancy and prior to that was a press officer.

ENERGY

501

built to last

Name another machine that works harder, runs longer or is more reliable than the gas turbine – it’s not easy and the industrial 501-K is a perfect example.

ndustrial 501-K engines are generating electricity, driving compressors, and providing exhaust heat to produce steam for a variety of applications around the world including industrial cogeneration, onshore and offshore oil and gas services, and back-up power for nuclear power stations.

They even provide propulsive power for commercial marine applications – the Kawasaki Jetfoil for example.

Since 1973, electrical power of all ship systems for every cruiser and destroyer built for the US Navy has been and is provided by a 501-K powered generator set. Today, three different models are in production ranging in power output from 5,500 to 9,210hp (4,100 to 6,900kW). Being aeroderivative gas turbines, their high efficiency and low weight to power ratio make them an ideal fit for a variety of applications.

I

Engine production volume in 2012 was twice what it was two years earlier and Rolls-Royce is planning additional 501-K production increases from its plant in Indianapolis in the coming years.

That investment has been made to improve production flow and assembly procedures. Significant investment has also been made in the product itself to improve component producibility and engine reliability.

The 501-K is a derivative of the Allison (now Rolls-Royce) T56 aero engine. That engine sets the industry standard for safe, reliable operation powering the world renowned Hercules C-130 cargo aircraft.

Like the T56, the 501-K has its own reputation for reliability operating on every continent around the world.

Over 2,300 engines have been delivered and they have accumulated more than 110 million operating hours. More

ISSUE139 27

Left The compact 501 gas turbine.

Right Over 2,000 501s are in service with a variety of operators worldwide.

than 1,400 of these are still in operation and it looks like the story of the 501-K is far from complete.

“The future looks bright for the 501-K,” says Todd Linville, Vice President – Energy, Small Engine Business for Rolls-Royce. “The engine has a solid reputation for its performance in the field and our marketing plans will help extend our geographical sales coverage, providing access to a broader customer base. We are already well positioned with sales offices and service facilities at strategic locations throughout the world. Our distributors, Centrax, OnPower, Hitachi Zosen (Hitz), Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Kobelco) and IHI Jet Services Co. Ltd. are first class with quality packaging capabilities and strong market and product knowledge. Most of all, they know their customers, and their needs and understand how the 501-K can satisfy them. Our growth projections reflect all these elements as we focus upon the highest volume power range of the industrial gas turbine market,” he says.

“Demand for combined heat and power (CHP) generation is increasing while supply and demand for natural gas is on the upward trend. As a result, we see significant growth opportunities beyond our traditional market regions,” says Todd.

The 501-K engine range for electric power generation

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includes the 501-KB5S, 501-KH, and 501-KB7S with 5,500, 9,210, and 7,400hp (4,100, 6,900 and 5,520kW) rated outputs, respectively. The KB7S is an upgrade of the KB5S. It has a four stage turbine section with internal cooling of the first stage vanes and blades. Both conventional and Dry Low Emission (DLE) combustion systems are available. The fuel system is equipped to handle natural gas, mid-BTU gas (at least half must be methane), liquid and dual fuel configurations.

Outputs The fleet also includes the 501-KC5S and KC7, which are mechanical drive units, with the major exception being that they have a free power turbine that makes them more suitable for driving compressors and pumps.

Their rated outputs are 5,500 and 7,200hp (4,100 and 5,370kW) respectively.

“We’ve incorporated innovative design changes in the product family directed at modernising the engine in all respects, improving its performance, operability and cost competitiveness with changes in manufacturing processes and procedures,” says Linville.

The primary design changes to which Linville is referring include incorporating a single-stage compressor boost

The engine has a solid reputation for its performance in the field and our marketing plans will help extend our geographical sales coverage. module transforming the 501-KB5 into the KB7 and increasing its power output by 33 per cent. Further improvements include evolving the KB7 into the KB7S through the use of advanced materials and innovative gas path aerodynamic design; gaining another six per cent in shaft horsepower while reducing the carbon footprint through associated improvements in thermal efficiency.

“We also incorporated improvements in the engine’s DLE combustion system,” he adds.

The parent T56 turboprop aero engine, has itself undergone enhancements. It is now in its Series 3.5 version, improving the standard T56 Series III configuration, moving its performance toward that of the Series IV. The enhancements incorporate new materials as well as new blade and vane configurations within the engine. The updates have already been demonstrated in other

Rolls-Royce engines, resulting in a low-risk solution. Under the 3.5 design and specification, the enhanced engine will improve fuel consumption significantly by 7.9 per cent.

However, in flight tests performed by the US Air Force, the Series 3.5 engine demonstrated a 9.7 per cent improvement compared to production specification Series III engines. The T56 enhancements are incorporated into the 501-K industrial version where applicable.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the longevity of the 501-K and its continuing competitive place in the market is a testament to the original design and the improvements that Rolls-Royce has incorporated into the engine. It is also a testimony to the commitment Rolls-Royce and its partners have made to the future.

Not bad for a gas turbine that first entered industrial service in 1963 powering a gas compressor set for Warren Petroleum at Vermillion, Louisiana, and today, has claimed its place in the world market with well over 2,000 sold.

Author: Joe Kane is founder of CompressorTech2 magazine serving the natural gas and process industries, worldwide. He has been associated with the magazine’s parent company Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications for 45 years. Prior to that, he directed Technical Communications for McGraw Edison Company, a company engaged with the electric power utility industry.

ISSUE139 29

RM60

world first

Sixty years ago the world’s pioneering gas turbine-powered ship went to sea, launching a revolution in naval vessel capability.

The Grey Goose had a top speed of over 50 knots.

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HISTORICAL

ittingly, the world’s first fully jet-powered ship sported dashingly good looks. HMS Grey Goose may have started life as a humble steam gunboat during World War Two, but when she ushered in the naval jet age exactly 60 years ago, her sharply-raked bow, her graceful form – like a miniature destroyer – and the exceptionally high speeds she could now attain, all pointed purposefully to a revolution in warship performance.

Her story begins back in the dark wartime days of 1941, when Grey Goose was laid down as an early member of an advanced new class of steam gunboats with steel hulls and high-efficiency 8,000hp steam turbines. Their mission was to outpace and counter the significant dangers to allied shipping brought by fast marauding Schnellboote, or S-boats, of the German Navy.

F

thermal efficiency over a wide power range and maximum reliability and manoeuvrability.

Gas turbines could, potentially, tick all these boxes, so the Admiralty contracted the UK company Metropolitan Vickers for three experimental marine engines based on an aircraft-type lightweight gas turbine design.

Early trials in the role of high-speed boost units in diesel-engined coastal craft proved promising and encouraged the Admiralty to contract English Electric to build a gas turbine for main propulsion machinery, the EL 60A, in 1946. This heavyweight design would be based on contemporary steam turbine practice and, after shore trials,

experimental marine gas turbine on 1 January, 1948.

Their work was highly classified and their progress methodical and thorough, leading to the first run of the prototype engine in June 1951. The Admiralty recognised the importance – and the potential prestige for Britain and the Royal Navy – of seeing this project through successfully.

Likewise, after its first run in June 1951, Rolls-Royce put the RM60 through an unprecedented two thousand hours of intensive testbed running in an effort to minimise the risk of technical troubles at sea.

This caution was well merited because the RM60 introduced a high degree of technical

The RM60 marine gas turbine that powered the Grey Goose.

Fear Wartime secrecy saw Grey Goose and her counterparts – only six of which were built – described as ‘light coastal craft’. In reality they packed a mighty punch with a three-inch gun, torpedoes and depth-charges, while their 35 knot speed struck fear in Schnellboote crews. Grey Goose and her flotilla served throughout the war with venom and valour, repeatedly and effectively attacking heavilydefended enemy shipping.

Meanwhile the British Admiralty recognised the highperformance steam turbine powerplants of Grey Goose and other fast ships were approaching the end of the road in development terms. Officials began to probe the potential of gas turbine power, which in 1941 had begun to make promising progress in the world of aviation.

Prime among naval warship propulsion requirements are minimum weight and space, good

officials aimed to undertake comparative trials with the unit installed alongside equivalent steam machinery in a naval frigate.

Around the same time Rolls-Royce, already the world leader in gas turbine technology for aviation, approached the Admiralty to suggest a gas turbine would prove a suitable main propulsion unit for coastal craft.

Talks soon led to proposals and to a development contract for an experimental 6,000hp naval gas turbine, known as the RM60. Behind closed doors in Derby, designers formally began detailed designs of the new

complexity and innovation, much of it backed by knowledge and experience Rolls-Royce had already gained in aero gas turbines.

Naval requirements called for economical low-power cruising, so the RM60 employed an exceptionally high pressure-ratio for the era, with intercooling between each major stage of compression and a heat exchanger to boost turbine power output and reduce fuel consumption.

Complex, advanced and technically risky, the RM60 left many senior Admiralty staff doubting if it would ever work effectively at sea. But doubts swiftly dispersed in 1953 when Grey Goose first took to the sea in ISSUE139 31

The Grey Goose started life as a steam powered gun boat.

the hands of the main naval contractors, Vospers, with her steam turbine machinery replaced by two RM60s.

With her new powerplant 50 per cent lighter, generating 35 per cent more power and taking up 25 per cent less space than her former steam turbine, the performance of Grey Goose in her new role as a pioneer floating test

– and she’s still not flat out!” enthuses the commentator. “Only the Navy and the backroom boys know her full performance, and they aren’t saying!”

Grey Goose’s two RM60s – purely experimental powerplants operating in an entirely novel environment – proved remarkably efficient and reliable during four years of trials at sea, both by

The success of the RM60 in Grey Goose and the obvious potential of lightweight gas turbines soon rendered obsolete parallel work on the heavyweight EL 60A, based on steam machinery practice.

Admiralty officials, assured of a promising future for lightweight marine gas turbines, ended the project after initial shore tests and abandoned plans for sea trials.

Contribution

The performance of Grey Goose in her new role as a pioneer floating test bed proved phenomenal. bed proved phenomenal. The world’s first vessel to be powered solely by gas turbine engines emphatically demonstrated the potential of this new technology, sporting rapid acceleration, quick throttle response, high maximum speed and excellent manoeuvrability.

With senior naval commanders on board, Grey Goose fairly flew during trials.

A British Pathe cinema newsreel of the day, filmed from a speedboat struggling to keep pace with the ship as she carves across the calm waters of the Solent off the south coast of the UK, captures the spirit splendidly: “Here she is approaching 50 knots

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contractors and the Royal Navy.

Earlier doubts over the usefulness of lightweight marine gas turbines at sea (with ‘lightweight’ associated in the minds of many conservative marine engineers with ‘short life’) gave way to a high degree of confidence in the technology, reflecting the wisdom of the thorough component and whole-engine test programme Rolls-Royce had conducted from the start of the RM60 project.

Perhaps the greatest contribution made by the flying Grey Goose was the realisation that lightweight gas turbines could serve well beyond their original intended remit, that of powering coastal craft that needed good efficiency for economical cruising at low speeds and a quick-response highspeed capability. The complex but highly capable RM60s in Grey Goose suggested this new technology could master a much broader role, including that of main propulsion in larger ships.

Sure enough, within a decade of the end of Grey Goose trials in 1957 the Royal Navy converted the frigate

HMS Exmouth to gas turbines of increased technical maturity, to trial the main powerplant selected for new Type 82 destroyers. With one Olympus TM1 of 24,000shp for main propulsion plus two 3,500shp Proteus units for fuelefficient cruising, Exmouth became the world’s first front-line major warship to depend wholly on gas turbine power. The world soon followed suit.

Today, navies and their warships worldwide rely on modern gas turbine technology.

Rolls-Royce, 60 years after the pioneering RM60 began life at sea, has evolved into a global force in marine propulsion and equipment technologies for defence and commercial applications.

But what of the dashing Grey Goose? Today, this historic vessel still presents a handsome face, but in a very different and much more peaceful pose than her earlier roles allowed. Beautifully converted, carefully berthed and renamed Anserava, she spends her retirement as a houseboat in a quiet estuary in Kent, south-east UK. With history ringing in her rivets.

Author: John Hutchinson is an independent writer on a range of topics including technology.

He has worked in various corporate and media communication roles, never far from the leading-edge industry of aerospace.

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Picture credits All photographs Rolls-Royce plc except: Cover, P4 top and bottom left, P12-15, Andrew Siddons, Peak Photographic Ltd P2-3, P4 bottom right, P6-7, British Airways P5 bottom, Airbus S.A.S. P8-9 (main), iStock P11, Sanmar A.S. P16-20, Lockheed Martin Corporation P21, P26 centre, bottom, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation P22-26 top, Peter Holman, Motordrive Photographic Copyright owned by photographer/organisation.

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