Quasiturbine> Application> Military

 


Because soldiers deserve the best anywhere available,
and because the modern battlefield is not limited to open lands,
the high performance and stealth Quasiturbine could help freedom!

Quasiturbine and the Military


Jet-A or Diesel Fuel

With a potential of 10 HP per pound or more in pneumatic or steam mode, the Quasiturbine is an exceptional candidate for strategic military applications. For security and standardization reasons, all military propulsions, air, marine and land, are moving toward Jet A fuel engine. So far, no rotary engine can satisfactory run under Jet A.

The Quasiturbine Jet A fuel is of strategic interest, since it is a zero vibration engine, which reduces the weight and the volume of conventional engine by a factor 4, and the noise by a factor 20, low air flow almost insensitive to air dust, its continuous combustion increases reliability, while the Quasiturbine produces less detectable heat! Possible zero EMF (Electro-Magnetic Field) engine operation is also of great interest.

Furthermore, the Quasiturbine runs at a very low 200 to 3000 RPM (meaning a very long engine life time) with an unusually high torque, suppressing the use of gearboxes for many applications. Due to steep pressure rise in the Quasiturbine, the use of synchronized conventional injectors may not be necessary for some applications. The Quasiturbine can be submersible, since without crankcase oil pan nor electrical circuit.


DRONE and Airplane Quasiturbine

Hybrid Quasiturbine-Fan (or Quasiturbine-Jet) offers potential for no temperature limit in the jet nozzle! Considering the high power density, the low cross section area and the exceptional intake characteristics of the Quasiturbine, it is reasonable to expect to conceive airplane engines:

  • Enhance jet efficiency by recovering the waste gate exceeding compressed air for other applications, like driving an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit).

  • In a propeller airplane, weight reduction allows a larger payload or longer autonomy, space saving allows to reduce the aerodynamic drag, absence of vibration increases instruments reliability, photos quality and flight comfort, the noise reduction increases the discretion level, the high torque allows the use of multi-blades propeller and the better intake characteristic of the Quasiturbine allows higher flight altitude.

  • The hybrid Quasiturbine-Fan (or Quasiturbine- Jet) engine would be more powerful and efficient. In an helicopter, a large diameter Quasiturbine could generate enough torque to directly drive of the rotor blades without any gearbox, while making much less noise. The weight reduction of any equipment using a Quasiturbine makes it more suitable for helicopter transportation.

  • Quasiturbine-Fan in which the Fan would be driven by a Quasiturbine, rather than by a conventional power turbine.

  • Quasiturbine-Fan Hybrid in which only the compressor would be driven by a Quasiturbine, leaving all the reactor energy available to drive a still more powerful fan. The Quasiturbine air intake could come from the compressor. The empty center of the Quasiturbine would allow the shaft to go from the power turbine to the fan.
  • Quasiturbine-Jet reactor (no hot turbine). Still more revolutionary would be a Jet Reactor without power turbine in the hot gas flow, where the compressor would be driven by a Quasiturbine, leaving to the Jet all its propulsive energy. The Quasiturbine air intake could come from the compressor. In this last case, the suppression of the conventional power turbine would permit to operate the engine at much higher temperature without risking to melt the non-existent power turbine, and would permit to substantially increase  the speed and the efficiency. This airplane engine would operate in the same mode as the rocket engine!
  • For still a higher power density, the Quasiturbine could be fuelled in pneumatic mode in hydrogen peroxide.
  • For stealth operation, a plastic made Quasiturbine is radar undetected with a noise 20 times less than the conventional engine, and in pneumatic mode, the exhaust can be near ambient temperature, with zero EMF.
  • With a potential of 10 HP per pound or more in pneumatic or steam mode, the Quasiturbine is an exceptional candidate for  burning metal fuels (aluminum, magnesium or lithium). Aluminum is the most energetic of these metal fuels, producing a reaction temperature of up to 10,600 degrees Celsius. The heat from the combustion chamber would be used to melt stored aluminum sheets at about 675 degrees C and to vaporize water as well. High-pressure steam from this combustion process expands out to drive a Quasiturbine. This would be an extremely high power density aluminum-burning system.
  • In rockets, the Quasiturbine Pumps and Turbo-pumps would permit a good control of fuel injection while reducing the equipment weight.

The Quasiturbine is an efficient direct hydrogen combustion engine! These concepts would also permit to construct much less complicated airplane engines and at a much lower cost than conventional turbines.


Military Applications

In a 30 tons tank, space saving allows for more munitions and soldiers, noise reduction and absence of vibration permit better observation and less fatigue, low air flow almost insensitive to air dusts, and absence of gearbox increases reliability.

In a fast boat, the weight reduction allows for a better over water surfing, water stream jet integration in the center of the submersible Quasiturbine suppresses the shaft and alignments, and the vibration and noise reduction increases also the discretion level. Outboard marine submersible Quasiturbine can also be of great interest.

In a pneumatic sub-marine, everything is outside the habitable: the air tanks are underneath as emergency lest, the Quasiturbine submersible jet propulsion is remote behind, and the Quasiturbine air exhaust is feed inside and inhaled by the crew!

In a nuclear sub-marine, a steam Quasiturbine would produce the necessary torque to directly drive the propeller shaft without delay in both directions (reversing the flow), and would allow for a complete and quiet stop.

In a torpedo, a 1000 hp hydrogen peroxide fueled Quasiturbine would be more compact and lighter, with a larger range, and producing an efficient multi-power level output (which conventional turbines cannot allow).

In terrestrial multi-wheels drive vehicles, independent pneumatic or hydraulic Quasiturbine can be all connected to one central pressure distribution point such as to generate equal torque independently from the individual RPM. Torque modulation can further provide the vehicle direction control.

In portable units (power plants, pumps, ventilators...), the weight reduction help transportation (and still more by integrating the application in the center of the Quasiturbine), the noise reduction and absence of vibration are particularly appreciated for hand held units, and pollution reduction makes a better humane operating condition.

In precision guided device, the low harmonic Quasiturbine engine permits a precise RPM, power and acceleration control over a wider range.

For zero EMF (Electro-Magnetic Field) engine operation, the Quasiturbine offers 5 modes: pneumatic, steam, continuous combustion, diesel and detonation.

With a potential of 10 HP per pound or more in pneumatic or steam mode, the Quasiturbine is an exceptional candidate for the marine super-cavitating vehicles burning metal fuels (aluminum, magnesium or lithium). This would be an extremely high power density aluminum-burning "water ramjet" system.

SWATH Aircraft and Cargo Carriers... A new type of engine can power this vessel offering some significant advantages over current power plants. We still want the range and power advantages of nuclear power but we should replace the steam turbines with Quasiturbines for tremendous reductions in maintenance and operation costs. Nuclear power uses steam to drive turbines but the temperature of the steam is relatively low and this causes fouling problems with the turbine. The Quasiturbine is more resistant to fouling, uses fewer parts, and can have electrical generation hardware integrated into the engine for reductions in size and weight as well. The Quasiturbine could also be physically coupled to propellers or water jets. While Quasiturbines can be steam driven, they can also run from fuel combustion as well and can run on virtually any fuel, just like traditional turbines. What this means is that the same engine can be used to power all of our large Navy vessels and submarines - we only need to vary the quantity of engines used to the application. This should streamline our support and training needs considerably...

Engine Exhaust Heat Recovery:
By placing a hot Quasiturbine into or around an engine exhaust pipe, and injecting pressurized hot water (steam keep in the liquid state for better heat transfer), some heat can be recovered into mechanical energy. Stirling and short steam circuit Quasiturbine could do similarly!

A 10 second vehicle Power Booster. Originally, hybrid was intended for efficiency increase, not for performance increase. More and more vehicles use 2 engines not for fuel savings, but to increase acceleration performance: As a 10 seconds Power Booster, benefiting a government grant! In this regards, the Quasiturbine QT600SC pneumatic with an onboard air tank and compressor could eventually provide hundreds of additional HP for 10 seconds, and make an unbeatable acceleration Quasiturbine Hybrid vehicle... the market seem to ask for? Many others applications require high power bursts, like in smooth landing parachuting (with fast line-winding in less than 10 seconds).


Hydrogen - Nuclear Comment

A fleet is vulnerable because of the need of tankers for refueling. Only the aircraft carrier and the submarines are nuclear powered and therefore autonomous for years. Give an aircraft carrier a plutonium-fed high temperature nuclear reactors to produce hydrogen by thermo chemical reactions, then six reactors can produce 260 metric tons of hydrogen per day. This is approximately as much energy as 900 tons of kerosene of fuel. If hydrogen is not suited for military aircrafts, one can chemically produce an heavier fuel (like an alcohol) using hydrogen and CO2 captured from atmosphere. Hydrogen-fuelled frigate may have an hybrid propulsion: Fuel cells - Gas turbines. FC for base load power (low speed) and turbines for high power.

The Quasiturbine has both in one. It is an efficient steam engine and an efficient direct hydrogen combustion engine, which could make it play an important role on this matter!


More Technical

Dominant Logistics for military
Future Combat Vessels

Super-cavitating vehicles burning metal fuels

Quasiturbine listed at INIS © International Atomic Energy Agency