Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Military Research and Development, Committee on National Security, House of Representatives. Navy Ship Propulsion. Viability of New Engine Program in Question.

Abstract

This General Accounting Office(GAO) report discusses the Department of the Navy's development of a new ship propulsion system, the intercooled recuperated (ICR) gas turbine engine. GAO's review focused on the (1) Navy's need for the engine; (2) cost, schedule, and performance of the engine testing program; and (3) impact of the test results and funding issues on the program's test and development strategies. The ICR gas turbine engine program was established in the mid-1980s to develop an improved surface ship propulsion system that would be fuel efficient. In December 1991, the Navy awarded a contract to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation for the advanced design and an option for full-scale development of the engine.' Their engine development team includes Rolls-Royce Public limited Company (United Kingdom), AlliedSignal Aerospace Incorporated, and CAE Electronics. The engine is essentially an advanced gas turbine engine, similar to the one used on a large commercial aircraft. It is being adapted for marine use by adding a recuperator, an intercooler, and other major components. Housed in a special enclosure, the engine also has a lube oil module, an off-engine intercooling module, and a digital control system specifically built for shipboard application. A critical component of the engine is the recuperator. The recuperator uses engine exhaust to preheat compressed air before fuel combustion, allowing the engine to use less fuel. For example, the Navy expects the ICR engine to achieve a weighted average improvement of 30 percent in fuel efficiency for a mechanical drive destroyer.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 07, 1996
Accession Number
ADA309966

Entities

People

  • Brad Hathaway
  • David R. Fisher
  • John J. D'esopo
  • Joseph C. Brown
  • Thomas J. Schultz

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Budgets
  • Business Administration
  • Department Of Defense
  • Economic Analysis
  • Gas Turbines
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Vessels (Combatant)
  • Navy
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Shipbuilding
  • Software Testing
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Facilities
  • Turbines
  • Uss Arleigh Burke

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Software Engineering

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster