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N11-21113

NASA TEGHNICAL NASA TM X-67846


M E M O R A N D U M

PERFORMANCE OF A BRAYTON-CYCLE POWER CONVERSION


SYSTEM USING A HELIUM-XENON GAS MIXTURE

by Alfred S. Valerino and Lloyd W. Ream


Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio

TECHNICAL PAPER proposed for presentation at


19"1 Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference
sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers
Boston, Massachusetts, August 3-6, 1971
ABSTRACT ZONSIDERABLE EFFORT HAS BEEN expecde a by t h e
;TASA, Lewis Research Center, t o aemoxstra.l;e t h e
A Brayton power conversion system was oper- c a p a b i l i t i e s of a l o n g - l i f e , space-oriented,
a t e d i n an ambient environment w i t h a gas mix- m u l t i - k i l o w a t t Brayton cycle power sysiem. The
t u r e of h e i i w , and xecon. The system was oper- . 3rayton engine was designed t o produce 2 t o 10
a t e d a t a compressor i n l e t temperature of 80' F kW of e l e c t r i c a l power w i t h a gas mixture of
through a compressor discharge p r e s s u r e range helium-xenon (molecular weight of 83.8) a s t h e
from 20 to'45 p s i a and through a t u r b i n e i n l e t working f l u i d . The power conversion sy-tcm of
temperature range from 1300 t o 1600' F. R e s u l t s t h e engine employs a r o t a t i n g u n i t ('URU) c l o s e -
of system and component performances through t h e coupled t o a h e a t exchanger wit (BIIXU) . 'She
o p e r a t i n g range of p a r m e t e r s a r e discussed. r o t a t i n g u n i t c o n s i s t s of a t u r b i n e , an a . l t e r n a -
R e s u l t s of t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n d i c a t e d a t o r and a compressor on a s i n g l e s h a f t which i s
s e t engine e f f i c i e n c y (excluding h e a t l o s s e s supported a n i r e t a i n e d by journal. and t h r u s t
from t h e h e a t source) of approximately 30 p e r c e n t bearings o p e r a t i n g on a f i l m of t h e systems work-
a t a compressor discharge p r e s s u r e of 45 p s i a and i n g f l u i d . Design r o t a t i v e speed i s 36,000 rpm.
a t u r b i n e i n l e t temperature of 1600 F. The The h e a t exchanger u n i t c o n s i s t s of a gas-to-gas
g r o s s power o u t p u t measured a t t h e a l t e r n a t o r recuperator, a g a s - t o - l i q u i d waste heal; exchang-
t e r m i n a l s f o r t h i s c o n d i t i o n was 15.2 kW. Good, e r , and a s s o c i a t e d ducting. Much d a t a or: t h e be-
agreement was obtained i n a comparison o f t h e havior of t h e components and of t h e p o y r con- '

compressor a d i a b a t i c e f f i c i e n c y w i t h t h a t ob- v e r s i o n system o p e r a t i n g w i t h e i t h e r arr argon,


t a i n e d w i t h t h e compressor t e s t e d w i t h argon gas; or l c r n t o n has been published ( 1 t o IS)*: Few
compressor e f f i c i e n c i e s of t h e o r d e r o f 79 p e r - experimental d a t a , however, have been dbtained o r
cent were obtained. With t h e blend of helium published on t h e components afid system perform-
and xenon and w i t h high t u r b i n e i n l e t tempera- a w e w i t h t h e helium-xenon gas mixture a s t h e
t u r e s ( 1 3 0 0 ~t o 1600' F) t u r b i n e s t a t i c e f f i - working f l u i d . The experlmental perform,nce o f . a
ciency was s l i g h t l y lower than w i t h c o l d argon; power conversion system operatin, in a vacuum en-
t h e values were 87.5 p e r c e n t and 88.8 p e r c e n t vironment w i t h helium-xenor. i s re?ort,ed i n
w i t h hot helium-xenon and c o l d argon, r e s p e c t i v e - Hef. 14.
l y . The h e a t - t r a n s f e r e f f e c t i v e n e s s of 0 . 9 5 o f This p a p e r p r e s e n t s d a t a obtained w i t h a
t h e gas-to-gas r e c u p e r a t o r agreed w;th t h e p r e - power conversion system o p e r a t i n g i n an ambient
d i c t e d v a l u e a t a system p r e s s u r e l e v e l of envirotment w i t h t h e helium-xenor, g a s mixture a s
45 p s i a . The head r i s e o f t h e l i q u i d c o o l a n t t h e wopking f l u i d . T e s t s f v a r i a b l e s include a
pump, approximately 193 f t a t a design c a p a c i t y t u r b i n e i n l e t temperature range of 1 3 0 0 ~t o
of 3.7 gal/min, was considerably h i g h e r t h a n t h e 1600' I, a compressor discharge p r e s s u r e range of
s p e c i f i e d minimum value o f approximately 159 f t . 2G t o 45 p s i a a t a compressor i n l e t temperature
of 80' F. Performance of t h e t u r b i n e , t h e com-
p r e s s o r , t h e r e c u p e r a t o r , t h e waste h e a t ex-
changer, t h e engine l i q u i d coolant pump, a s well
a s t h e power conversion system, are presented.

GENERAI, DESCRIPTION

A schematic diagram o f t h e Erayton power


conversion system i s p r e s e n t e d m Fig. 1. An
e l e c t r i c h e a t source wag i n s t a l l e d between t h e
BKXU high-pressure s i d e o u t l e t and Lhc Lurblne
i n l e t t o provide t h e thermal energy f o r Lhe sys-
tem. Gas flows from t h e compressor drscharge,
through t h e gas-to-gas r e c u p e r a t o r i n t o t h e h e a t
source. The heated gas passes througn t h e t u r -
b i n e , i n t o t h e BHXLi low-pressure s l d e where i t
g i v e s up some of i t s h e a t content t o t h e gas

umbers i n parentheses designate Ref-


erences a t end of paper.
cntering cne recuperator from the compressor. The ,?eed c o n t r o l l e ~ "was 110s"roperly tuned
Gas then :Lows i n t o the waste heat exchanger p i i n g t h i s t c s t . The r e s u l t a n t r o t a t l v e speed
where s u f f i c i e n t heat i s released t o the l i q u i d ana, therefore, the a l t e r n a t o r frequency l a r e
coolant t o maintain a compressor i n l e t tempera- approximately 101 t o 104 percent above the de-
t u r e of 80 F. sign values. Dcsign rotat,lve speed was 36,000
The Dow Corning l i q u i d coolant i s circu- rpm; design a l t e r n a t o r frequency was 1200 Ha.
l a t e d by the coolant pump through the y x t e heat
exchanger v i a a single path and through the al- DISCUSSION
t e r n a t o r v i a e i t h e r one and/or two paths. Heat
added t o the coolant i s removed by means of a COMPRESSOR - The radial-outflow compressor
refrigeration unit. was designed f o r a nominal. 6-kW n e t output (1).
Photographs of the BRU, BHXU and the e l e c - A photograph of the compressor vaned d i f f u s e r -
t r i c heat source i n s t a l l e d i n the power conver- ' s c r o l l assembly and the impeller i s shomm. i n
sion f a c i l i t y a r e presented i n Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 4.
The heat source-BHXU i n s t a l l a t i o n i n the system The c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the BXU cmlpressor
support frame i s shown i n Fig. 2. The heat a r e shown i n Figs. 5, 6, and 7, The e f f e c s s of
source and i t s i n l e t and o u t l e t piping a r e cover- compressor discharge s t a t i c press.me on the
ed with a micro-quartz blanket type i n s u l a t i o n . s t a t i c pressure r a t i o across the compressor and
The i n s t a l l a t i o n of the vertically-mounted BRU, the adiabatic e f f i c i e n c y a r e presented i n Pig. 5.
with tbe turbine end up, a n d a t h e BHXU i s shown A t a constant turbine i n l e t temperature, the
i n Fig. 3. compressor discharge pressure lias no s i g n i f i c a n t
High gas temperatures were measured with e f f e c t on n e i t h e r the s t a t i c p r e s s i r e r a t i o nor
chromel-alumel type thermocouples; low gas tem- the efficiency; however, increasing the turbine
peratures and l i q u i d temperatures were measured i n l e t temperature r e s u l t e d i n s l i g h t increases
. w i t h i r o n constantin thermocouples. Strain-gage i n s t a t i c pressure r a t i o . The s t a t i c pressure
type transducers were employed t o measure a l l of r a t i o increased from approximately 1 . 9 1 'to 1.94
the absolute and d i f f e r e n t i a l pressures required when the turbine i n l e t temperature was illcreased
f o r pressure measurements and f o r gas flow r a t e from 1300 t o 1600 F. The pressure r a t i o ob-
computations. Liquid flow r a t e s were sensed by t a i n e d a t 1600' F i s s l i g h t l y higher than i h e
a turbine-type flow meter. value obtained with argon as reported i n Ref. 8.
Rotative speed of the BRU s h a f t was obtained The a d i a b a t i c e f f i c i e n c y (Fig. 5(6)) i s
by means of a capacitance probe l o c a t e d near the e s s e n t i a l l y independent of the turbine i-nlet
BRU compressor journal bearings and by means of temperature. The experimental e f f i c i e n c y of ap-
the a l t e r n a t o r frequency. A speed - c o n t r o l l e r proximately 79 percent i s i n goo$ agreement with
described i n Ref. 13 was u t i l i z e d t o operate i n a the 79.5 percent obtained from the argon t e s t of
safe-speed band. Ref. 8.
The e l e c t r i c a l power output of the a l t e r n a - The e f f i c i e n c i e s and the s t a t i c pressure
t o r ' s three phases were each measured with root- r a t i o s of the compressor are presented i n Fig. 6
mean square instruments. i n the conventional compressor format-viz., pres-
sure r a t i o and e f f i c i e n c y versus equivalent flow
PROmDURE rate.
The e f f e c t of the e q u i v d e n t weight flow on
During the t e s t , constant values of t u r b i ~ e the temperature r i s e r a t i o i s presented i n
i n l e t and compressor i n l e t temperatures were Fig. 7. There i s r e l a t i v e l y good agreemelit bk-
maintained while the compressor dischmge pres- tween the experimental data with helium-xenon
sure was varied. Turbine i n l e t temperature was and the .argon data of Ref. 8-approximately 0.38
controlled by a closed-loop contr'oller regulating compared t o 0.37 with argon.
the e l e c t r i c a l power t o t h e h e a t source. The TURaIrjE - Photographs of the r o t o r housing
compressor i n l e t temperature was mai'ntained a t and the s c r o l l assembly a r e presented i n Figs. 8
80 F by controlling the l i q u i d coolant flow r a t e and 9, respectively. The radial-inflow tulrbine
t o t h e waste heat exchanger. Temperature of the was a l s o designed f o r a nominal 6-kW system
coolant entering the waste heat exchanger was e l e c t r i c power ( 2 ) .
f i x e d a t approximately 68' F. The compressor The operating c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the turbine
discharge pressure was v a r i e d by varying the gas a r e presented i n Figs. 10, U. and 12. E f f e c t s
system inventory. of the compressor discharge s t a t i c pressure on
the turbine inlet to discharge static pressure sure range. The expermental effectiveness of
ratio and on thc turbine efficiency are s h m in 0.95 obtalned at a turbine iliiet temperatue of
Fie. 10. Compressor discharge pressure shows no 1600' F at a compressor discharge prcssurc of
significant effect on the static pressure ratio 42.5 psla is In agreement with the predicted
(Fig. 10(a)). A slight increase in pressure ra- value. The effectiveness decreased sllgbtly
tio resulted with increasing turbine inlet tem- wlth increasing compressor discharge pressure
perature. Pressure ratios of approximately 1.77 when the turbine inlet teinperaiure was reduced
and approximately 1.79 were obtained at turbine to 1300' F.
inlet temperatures of 1 3 0 0 ~and 1600~F, re- The change in heat transfer cfiec tlveness
spectively. of the waste heat exchanger obtained at a turb-
Increasing compressor discharge static pres- ine inlet temperature of 1600' E wlCh compressor
sure from 25 to 45 psia resulted in a slight in- dlscharge pressure 1s shown in Fig, 15. A small
crease of approximately 2 percentage points in decrease, from approxmately 0.97 to 0.95, re-
turbine efficiency (~ig.10(b)). The data indi- sulted when the compressor aischarge pressure
cates a slightly lower efficiency (87.5 percent was increased from 25 to 45 psla. The smalL
at a compressor discharge pressure of 25 psia) drop in effectiveness occurs because of the c m -
when compared to the cold argon tests of Ref. 7 bined lncrease of both the heat load m a the
(88.8 prcent). The turbine efficiency and the heat transfer coefficient
equivalent inlet-to-discharge static pressure' The variation of overall pressure arop ra-
ratios are plotted in the conventional manner t ~ across
o the BHXU wlth compressor dlscbarge
against blade-to-jet speed ratio and equivalent pressure at a turbine lnlet tenperatme of
weight flow in Figs. 11 and 12, \respectively. 1600' F 1s presented In Fig. 16. 1ncreasl)ig
Scatter exists in the data but, in general, the compressor discharge pressure from 20 to 45 psia
data is in close agreement with the' argon data resulted in a decrease In the overall pressure
of Ref. 7. drop ratio from approximately 3.056 to 0.038.
HEAT EXCHANGER UNIT (BW) I. The BHXU, LIQUID COOLANT PUMP - The mosor dnverl pump,
shown in Fig. 13, consists of a gas-to-gas re- shown in Flg. 17, 1s an rntegral, hermetically-
cuperator, a gas-to-liquid waste heat exchanger sealed unit consisting of a centrrfugal, pimp and
and the interconnecting ducting. The recuper- a three-phase 400-Hz motor mounted in a conmon
ator is a counterflow plate-fin unit with cross- housing. A complete descx lptlon of the coolant
flow, tri-angular end sections. The waste heat pump unlt is presented In Ref. 4. Input power
exchanger is a cross-counterflow, plate-fin unit. to the pump unit was supplled by a three-pliase,
Manifolds are provided for the two units and are 400-Hz motor-generat~onset. The liomnal speed
shaped to provide uniform flow. Ducts are of the pump unit is 11,OOC rpn.
attached to the manifolds for connections to the The head rise characteristic of the coolant
heat source and the rotating unit. A more de- p'mp is shown in Fig. 18, The opezating charac-
tailed description of the BHXLJ and some perfom- teristics indlcate that the pwnp nead rlse is
ance data are presented in Ref. 3. well over the specified mxnimum requlrelnent of
The performance characteristics of the BHXU 159 ft at a flowrate of 3.7 gail/nlin. Experl-
has been determined for the operating conditions mental value of approximately 192 ft was obtain-
ed at the deslgn flow conalslon,
of the power conversion system. The performance
is expressed in terms of the heat srarisfer ENGINE - The effects of compressor discharge
pressure and turblne Inlet temperature on the
effectiveness-i.e., the ratio of the temperature power output measured at the alternator terminals
drop to the difference between the inlet temper- (gross power output) are presenteo ln Flg. 19.
ature through each heat exchanger passage. To Increasing compressor dlscharge pressure and the
demonstrate the behavior of the BHXU in relation turbine inlet temperature resulted ln Increases
to the system operating conditions, the perfom-
in the gross power output. At turbine inlet
ance is presented as a function of the system temperatures of 1600' and 140O0 F, at a conlpres-
pressure level at the compressor discharge. sor discharge pressure of 45 psla, the gross
The variation of recuperator heat transfer electrical power outputs were approxmately
effectiveness with compressor discharge pressure
at turbine inlet temperatures of 1 6 0 0 ~and 1 3 0 0 ~ ~13.2 and 10 kW, respectively. At a compressor
drscharge pressure of 20 psla, the gross power
is shown in Fig. 14. The effectiveness is rela- outputs were approximately 4.5 and 3.3 kW, re-
zively constant at a turbine inlet temperature
of 1600' F through the compressor discharge pres- spectlvely.
The e f f i c i e n c i e s of' tine engine a r e presented the e l e c t r i c heat source efficiency since IC does
i n Fig. 20. Since t'le e l e c t r i c heat source does not adequately simulate the engine heat source,
not provide a good exyine-heat-source simulation, 2. The compressor a d i a b a t i c e f f i c i e n c y , ap-
the e f f i c i e n c y of the e l e c t r i c heat source i s not proximately 79 percent, i s i n good agreement with
taken i n t o account i n the computation of the en- the 79.5 percent value obtained from the compo-
gine efficiency. The thermal input t o the engine nent t e s t with argon gas.
i s defined a s the r a t e of enthalpy addition 3 . The t u b i n s dfficioncy el' 87.5 psresnt
across the heater-that i s , ~ ~ $ 2 2 , where w i s was approximately one percentage point lower than
flow r a t e , cp i s s p e c i f i c heat a t constant pres- the value obtained when the turbine was t e s t e d
sure and AT i s temperature r i s e from recuper- , with cold argon gas.
a t o r o u t l e t t o turbine i n l e t . 4. The effectiveness of t h e recuperatar
The engine gross e f f i c i e n c i e s , based on the portion of the heat exchanger u n i t was approxi-
gross power outputs, a r e presented a s a function mately 95 percent. This value agrees with the
of tine system pressure l e v e l a t various turbine predicted effectiveness.
i n l e t temperatures i n Fig. 2 0 ( a ) . A t a compres- 5. The head r i s e of approxrrnately 1 9 3 ' f t
sor discharge pressure of 45 p s i a the gross e f f i - obtained with the l i q u i d coolant pump f a r ex-
ciency decreased from approximately 33.5 percent ceeded the specified minimum requirement of
t o approximately 28.5 percent when the turbine 159 f t a t a capacity of 3.7 gd/min.
i n l e t temperature was decreased from 16000 t o
1 4 0 0 ~F. A t a l l turbine i n l e t temperatures, de- APPENDIX
creasing the compressor discharge pressure r e -
s u l t e d i n decreases i n gross efficiency. APG a l t e r n a t o r gross output power, kG ' .1
Since the operation of the Brayton engine i s s p e c i f i c heat a t constant pressure, f t - l b /
Cp
self-sustaining, a housekeeping power requirement ( l b -OR)
f o r engine a u x i l i a r i e s must be considered. This
ER recuperator heat t r a n s f e r effectiveness,
a u x i l i a r y power requirement i s 1 . 4 k W (5). The
net power o r the u s e f u l engine power therefpre i s (TRI-TR~ / ( T R ~ - T )R ~
the gross power output minus 1.4 kW. Ew waste heat exchanger e f f e c t i v e n e s s (gas
The e f f e c t s of compressor discharge pressure side), (TRz-Tw~)/(TR~"T~z)
and turbine i n l e t temperature on the engine n e t g g r a v i t a t i o n a l constant, 32.174 f t / s e e 2 -
efficiency i s shown i n Fig. 20(b). The'net e f f i - &hi i d e a l s p e c i f i c work, ~ t u / l b
ciency i s defined i n the Appendix. A t 1600 and J mechj~nicalequivalent of heat, 770.16
1 4 0 0 ~F turbine i n l e t temperatures a t a compres- f t -lb/Btu
s o r discharge s t a t i c pressure of 45 psia, t h e net
P s t a t i c pressure, p s i a
e f f i c i e n c i e s obtained were approximately 30 and
25 percent, respectively. A t a compressor d i s - T t o t a l temperature; OF
charge pressure of 20 p s i a , the net e f f i c i e n c i e s Ut blade t i p v e l o c i t y , f t / s e c
were approximately 19 and 1 3 percenr;, respective- V absolute gas velocity, f t / s e c
ly.
Vj i d e a l j e t speed corresponding t o s t a t i c
CONCLUDING REMARKS pressure r a t i o across the turbine,
2gJ(Ahi), f t / s e c
The performance c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of a Brayton w flowrate,lb/sec
cycle power conversion system and of i t s compo- y r a t i o of s p e c i f i c heats, 1.667 f o r heliuin-
nents were 'obtained with a gas mixture of helium- xenon mixture .
xenon as the working f l u i d . Tests were conducted 6 r a t i o of i n l e t s t a t i c pressure t o U.S.
i n an ambient environment through a compressor standard sea-level pressure P/P3'
discharge pressure range, a turbine i n l e t temper-
a t u r e range, and a t a constant compressor i n l e t E function of y used i n r e l a t i n g parameters
temperature of 80' F. Results of t h e investiga- t o those using a i r i n l e t conditions a t
t i o n indicate: U.S. standard-se - l e v e l conditions,
1. A t a turbine i n l e t temperature of 1 6 0 0 ~F (
& P( y)
a y/r -?
and a compressor discharge pressure of 45 psia, a
system net e f f i c i e n c y of approximately 30 percent
resulted. The system e f f i c i e n c y does not include
qc compress" a d i a b a t i c temperature r i s e e f f i - 4. A., C. Spagnuolo, R. R . Secunde, and J. R.
ciency, Vrancilc, "Performance of' a Hermetic Induction
qT turbine e l ficiency Slotor-Driven Pump f o r Brayton Cycle Heat Rejec-
engine system g r o s s e f f i c i e n c y , ~ J 1 . 0 5 4 t i o n Loop." NASA TM X-,52698, 1969.
qG
wcp(T~1-T~4)
5 . D. B. Fenn, J. N. Deyo, T. ;. Miller,
and R . W. Vernon, "ExperimentaJ. Performance of a
QN engine system n e t e f f i c i e n c y , 2-15 Kilowatt Brayton Power System i n t h e Space
(WG-1. 4) /I.. 054 w C ~ ( T ~ ~ - T ~ ~ ) Power F a c i l i t y Using Krypton." NASA TM X-52750,
8, r a t i o o f compressor i n l e t t o t a l tempkra- 1970.
t u r e t o U.S. s t a n d a r d s e a - l e v e l tempera- 6. A. S. Valerino, R . P. Macosko, A. $,
ture, T~*/T* Asadourian, T. P. Hecker, and R. Xruchowy, "h-
squared r a t i o of c r i t i c a l v e l o c i t y a t t h e l i m i n a r y Performance of a Brayton-Cycle-Power- .
BCR
turbine i n l e t t o c r i t i c a l velocity a t System Gas Loop Operating w i t h Krypton over a
U.S. s t a n d a r d s e a - l e v e l temperature, Turbine I n l e t Temperature Range of 1 2 0 0 ~F t o
( VCR/V&) 1600Q F." NASA TM X-52769, 1970.
v b l a d e - j e t speed r a t i o , Ut/Vj 7. W . J. Nusbaum and M. G. Kofskey, "Cold
~u~erscripts Performance Evaluation ,of 4.97-Inch Radial-
Inflow Turbine Designed f o r Single-Shaft Brayton
* U.S. s t a n d a r d s e a - l e v e l c o n d i t i o n s (tem- Cycle Space-Power System." NASA Tfi D-5090, 1969.
p e r a t u r e e q u a l t o 518.7O R; p r e s s u r e 8. C. Weigel, Jr., E . R. Tysi, and C. L.
equal, t o 14.7 p s i a ) . B a l l , "Overall Performance i n Argon of 4.25-Inch
Subscripts Sweptback-Bladed Centrifugal. Compressor." NASA
CD compressor discharge TM X-2129, 1970.
CI compressor i n l e t 9. D. G. Beremand, D. Namkoong, and R. Y.
CR c o n d i t i o n corresponding t o Mach number o f Wong, "Experimental Performance C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
un'ity of Three IdenticaL Brayton Rotating U n i t s . "
NASA TM X-52826, 1970.
EQ equivalent 10. R. Y. Wong, H. A. Klassen, R . C . Evans,
TD t u r b i n e discharge' and C. B. Winzig, "Preliminary I n v e s t i g a t i o n of
TI turbine i n l e t a Single-Shaft Brayton Rotating Unit Designed f o r
R1 r e c u p e r a t o r i n l e t low p r e s s u r e s i d e a 2-to-10 Kilowatt Space Power Generatioii'Sys-
tem. " W A TM X-1869, 1969.
R2 r e c u p e r a t o r o u t l e t low p r e s s u r e s i d e ll. D. S. Repas and R . A. Edkin, " P e r f o m -
R3 r e c u p e r a t o r i n l e t high p r e s s u r e s i d e ance C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of a 14.3-Kilowatt-Ampere
I14 recuperator o u t l e t high pressure side Modified Lundell A l t e r n a t o r f o r 1200 Hertz
Brayton-Cycle Space-Power System." NASA TN D-
Wl gas o u t l e t s i d e of waste h e a t exchanger ' 5405, 1969.
W2 l i q u i d i n l e t s i d e o f waste h e a t exchanges 12. J . L. KLann, " S t e a d y ~ S t a t eAnalysis of a
Brayton Space-Power System." NASA TN D-5673,
1970. . .
13. B. D. Ingle, H. L. Winner, and R. C.
1. Anon., "Design and F a b r i c a t i o n of t h e Bainbridge, "Steady-State . C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of a
Brayton Cycle High Performance Compressor Re- Voltage Regulator and a P a r a s i t i c Speed Con-
s e a r c h Package." AiResearch Mfg. Co. Rep. APS- t r o l l e r on a 14.3-Kilovolt-Ampere, 1200-Hertz
5269-R, NASA CR-72533, November 29, 1967. Modified Lundell Alternat'or. " NASA TN D-5924,
2. Anon., "Design and F a b r i c a t i o n o f t h e 1970.
Brayton Cycle High Performance Turbine Research 14. R. W . Vernon and T . J. M i l l e r , " E q e r i -
Package." Report APS-5281-R, AiResearch Mfg. mental Performance of a 2-15 Kilowatt Brayton
Co. Rep. APS-5281-R, NASA CR-72478, February 14, Power System Using a Mixture of Helium and
1968. Xenon. ". NASA TM X-52936, 1970.
3 . G. N. Kaykaty, "Design Description and
Performance Test R e s u l t s from Two I d e n t i c a l
Brayton Heat Exchanger Units." NASA TM X-52844,
1970.
,-COMPRESSOR

K EAT
UCHANGER
UNIT (BHXCII

Figure 1. - Schematic of power conversion system.


TURBINE INLET
TEMPERATURE,

(A)STATIC PRESSURE RATIO.

C-69-3758
COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE STATIC
PRESSURE, PC PSlA
Figure 4. - Compressor scroll and impeller. D'
(BI EFFICIENCY.
Figure 5. - Effect of compressor dis-
charge pressure on compressor
static pressure ratio and o n com-
pressor efficiency.
TURBINE INLET
TEMPERATURE,
TTIJ
OF

TURBINE INLET
TEMPERATURE,
A 1300 TTII
@ REF. 8 OF

70 Ref. 8
(A) STATIC PRESSURE RATIO.

EQUIVALENT WEIGHT FLOW,


~ $ 1 6 , LBlSEC
.80 85 90 Figure 7. - Variation of cornpres-
EQUIVALENT WEIGHT <LOW, sor temperature rise ratio with
wJe,lbC, LBlSEC equivalent flow rate.
(B) EFFICIENCY.
Figure 6. - Variation of
compressor static pres-
s u r e ratio and efficiency
with equivalent flow rate.
TURBINE INLET
TUVIPERATURE,
TT
OF

.8 u (A) STATIC PRESSURE RATIO.


1. 9r

10 20 30 40 50
COMPRESSOR Dl SCHARGE STATIC
PRESSURE, P PSIA
C D'
(B) EFFICIENCY
Figure 10. - Effect of compressor dis-
charge pressure on t u r b i n e static
pressure ratio and on efficiency.

TURBINE INLET
TEMPERATURE,
TT
OF

C
o 1600
1500
o 1400
100 A 1300
1 @ (REF. 71

70
.6
u .7 .8 .9
BLADE-TO-JET SPEED RATIO, V
Figure 11. - Variation of
t u r b i n e efficiency with
blade-jet speed ratio.
TURBINE INLET
TEMPERATURE,

OF

1600
1500

'tu
1
.3
e

.4 .5
REF. 7

.6
.

EQUIVALENT WEIGHT FLOW,


wCR/6
Figure 12. - Variation of tur-
bine static pressure ratio
with equivalent flow rate.

Figure 13. - Brayton heat exchanger unit.


o TURBINE INLET TEMPERATIIRE, 1 6 0 0 ~F
A TURBINE INLET TEMPERATIIRE, 1300' F
@ DESIGN POINT
m

cd

COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE PRESSURE, PSlA


Figure 14. - Effects of t u r b i n e i n l e t temperature and pres-
s u r e level o n t h e recuperator effectiveness.

0 TURBINE INLEI TEMPERATURE,


1600' F

COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE PRESSURE, PSlA


Figure 15. - Effect of pressure level o n heat s i n k exchanger
effectiveness.

o TURBINE INLET
TEMPERATURE,
1600' F

.031 1 I 1
0 10 20 30 40 50
COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE PRESSURE, PSlA
Figure 16. - Effect of pressure level o n BHXU pressure
drop.
TURBINE INLET
TEMPERATURE,
TT
o?
0 1600
TURBINE INLET - r 1MO
TEMPERATURE,
TT

(A) GROSS EFFICIENCY.

--
COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE PRESSURE,
P C D (PSlA)
Figure 19. - Effect of system pressure COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE PRESSURE,
level o n t h e alternator gross power P PSlA
output. C D'
( B ) NET EFFICIENCY
Figure 26. - Effect of system pressure
level on t h e engine gross and net
efficiencies.

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