Gas turbines with free-running power turbines are used primarily as drive systems for widely varying power requirements in power plants and on board ships, locomotives, and motor vehicles. The trainer investigates the behaviour during operation of a system with two independent turbines in a two-shaft arrangement. One turbine (the high-pressure turbine) drives the compressor and the other turbine (the power turbine) supplies the effective power. Changes in power output in the power turbine have no influence on the compressor, which is able to keep running at optimum speed at the best efficiency point. The trainer includes the following components: compressor, tubular combustion chamber and high-pressure turbine; fuel system; starter and ignition system; lubrication system; power turbine; generator; and measuring and control equipment.

Learning objectives & experiments

Determining the shaft power
Determining specific fuel consumption
Recording the characteristics of the power turbine
Determining the system efficiency

Features

Simple model of a gas turbine
Two-shaft arrangement with high-pressure turbine and power turbine
Display and control panel with illustrative process schematic
Propane gas as fuel

Specification

Experiments relating to the function and behaviour during operating of a gas turbine in a two-shaft arrangement
Operation with power turbine and generator
Asynchronous motor with frequency converter as generator
Start-up fan to start the high-pressure turbine
Conversion of generated electrical energy into heat using four 600w braking resistors
Effective silencing at intake and exhaust for laboratory operation
Sensors record all relevant data visualised on displays in the process schematic