A COMPARISON OF TURBINES FOR TURBOJET ENGINES AND SPACE POWERPLANTS

The characteristics of turbines for turbojet and space power plant applications are compared on the basis of power requirement trends, working fluids, materials, and system requirements.

The differences in Brayton and Rankine cycles, the requirements of the cycles imposed on turbines, and typical losses inherent in present low power space turbines are discussed. A comparison is made of representative present and future turbines for turbojet and space power applications. Future large space turbines will parallel the performance and design techniques of high performance gas turbines. Some of the design techniques of steam turbines can also be used because of experience with wet vapor and long endurance. The future goals and problem areas of turbojet and space turbines are shown.