Rolls-Royce WR-21
The Rolls-Royce WR-21 is an advanced marine gas turbine engine, designed with a view to powering the latest naval surface combatants of the partner nations, and currently fitted to the Type 45 destroyer of the Royal Navy.
History
Developed with government funding input from the UK, France and the United States, the WR-21 was designed and manufactured by an international consortium led by Northrop Grumman as prime contractor.[1] The turbine itself was designed primarily by Rolls-Royce with significant marine engineering and test facility input from DCN, with Northrop Grumman responsible for the intercooler, the recuperator and system integration.[1][2]
WR-21 development draws heavily on the technology of the successful Rolls-Royce RB211 and Trent families of gas turbines.[3]
The original design and development of the WR-21 was carried out by Westinghouse Electric Corporation (later Northrop Grumman Marine Systems) under a U.S. Navy contract placed in December 1991. Later the Royal Navy and the French Navy became interested in the WR-21, leading to Rolls-Royce and DCN involvement.[4]
The only current use of the WR-21 is in the Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer. In January 2016 the Ministry of Defence acknowledged the Type 45 propulsion system had had a serious fault, which it had previously reported as "teething trouble", which leads to occasional near-complete power generation failures which disables propulsion and weapons systems. A staggered refit of the Type 45 destroyers was announced which will include include cutting holes in ship sides to fit additional generation capacity.[5][6] In 2014 Rolls-Royce had opened a gas turbine testing centre in Patchway, near Bristol to "test these [WR-21] unique engines to maximise availability" and to "provide in-service support for the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers".[7]
Characteristics
The WR-21 is the first aeroderivative gas turbine to incorporate Gas compressor intercooler and Exhaust heat recovery system (ICR) technologies that deliver low specific fuel consumption across the engine's operating range.[3] It offers a reduction in fuel burn of 30% across the typical ship operating profile.[8]
- The intercooler cools air entering the high pressure compressor, reducing the amount of energy required to compress the air.[3]
- The recuperator preheats the combustion air by recovering Waste-to-energy from the exhaust, improving cycle efficiency and reducing fuel consumption.[3]
Applications
It is a candidate power plant for propulsion of cruise ships and other large commercial vessels, where fuel efficiency and its small size mean improved operational flexibility and significant lifetime cost reductions to operators.
Specifications
- Rated power: 25.2 MW
- Specific fuel consumption: ~190 g/kWh
- Main module wet weight: 45974 kg
- Twin-spool design + free rotating power Turbine
- Six-stage LP compressor
- Intercooler
- Six-stage HP compressor
- Exhaust heat recuperator
- Nine radial combustors
- Single-stage HP turbine: 8,100 rpm (135 Hz)
- Single-stage LP turbine 6,200 rpm (103.33 Hz)
- Five-stage free power turbine 3,600 rpm (60 Hz)
References
- ^ a b "Northrop Grumman/Rolls-Royce Team Selected as Preferred Supplier". defense-aerospace.com. 1 November 2000. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "WR-21 gamble pays off". Jane's Navy International. 2000. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ^ a b c d "WR-21 Marine gas turbine". Rolls-Royce plc. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ^ Carl L. Weiler, John Chiprich (October 1997). WR-21 Intercooled Recuperated Gas Turbine System Overview and Update. ASME 1997 Turbo Asia Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. ISBN 978-0-7918-7867-5. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ Ben Farmer, Victoria Ward (29 January 2016). "Royal Navy's 1bn new warships need major engine refit after power failures". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ Jessica Elgot (29 January 2016). "British warships need multimillion-pound refit to stop power failures". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ Gavin Thompson (9 December 2014). "Rolls-Royce opens gas turbine testing centre for Royal Navy's new destroyers". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "WR-21 engine selected for Royal Navy type 45 destroyers". Retrieved 2009-11-16.
External links
- Rolls-Royce WR-21 Marine gas turbine page (archived 2013-11-08)
- Commander Colin R English (November 2003). The WR-21 Intercooled Recuperated Gas Turbine Engine - Integration Into Future Warships (PDF). Proceedings of the International Gas Turbine Congress 2003 Tokyo.