Evaluation of a Pressurized Air Start System for Advanced Army Helicopters.

Abstract

This report presents the results of an evaluation of a pressurized air start system (PASS) for advanced Army helicopters. PASS is a new concept for starting gas turbine propulsion engines that currently use electric starters in conjunction with nickel-cadmium batteries. PASS is a stored energy start system using air as the working fluid. In addition to starting the engine by pressurized air, the engine can be started using pneumatic ground carts or bleed air from another engine. The study included a design evaluation of a PASS for both single- and twin-engine helicopters. In addition, a comparison of a PASS and an equivalent electric start system was made on the basis of performance, weight, reliability, maintainability, vulnerability, and life-cycle cost. The logistics of operating the PASS using current and planned ground support equipment was studied. The results of the comparison indicated that PASS offers the following improvements over electric starting: Engine start times can be reduced significantly; System weight is lower; Maintenance requirements can be reduced; Reliability is improved significantly; and Life-cycle cost can be reduced 30 to 40 percent. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1977
Accession Number
ADA051967

Entities

People

  • J. A. Rhoden

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Auxiliary Power Units
  • Battery Chargers
  • Compressors
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Gages
  • Gas Turbines
  • Governments
  • Helicopters
  • Maintenance
  • Military Aircraft
  • Nickel Cadmium Batteries
  • Pressure Gages
  • Pressure Regulators
  • Pressure Switches
  • Turbines

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Hydrologic Risk Analysis and Mitigation.
  • Software Engineering