The Status of the Expendable Gasifier Program

The Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories, Aerospace Power and Turbine Engine Division (Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio), have an ongoing program to demonstrate a low cost gasifier (gas generator) for use as the core of a jet fuel starter 170 KW (230 shp), turbojet 1018 Newton (230 lb) thrust engine, or turbofan 2224 Newton (500 lb) thrust engine.

The program has successfully demonstrated the low cost manufacturing processes using production tooling, adequate performance for operation in all derivative forms, and turbojet operation in the Teledyne CAE altitude chamber over a range of altitudes, Mach numbers, and power settings.