EVOLUTION OF WESTINGHOUSE HEAVY-DUTY POWER-GENERATION AND INDUSTRIAL COMBUSTION TURBINES

This paper reviews the evolution of heavy-duty power generation and in dustrial combustion turbines in the United States from a Westinghouse Electric Corporation perspective. Westinghouse combustion turbine gene alogy began in March of 1943 when the first wholly American designed a nd manufactured jet engine went on rest in Philadelphia, and continues today in Orlando, Florida, with the 230 MW, 501G combustion turbine. In this paper, advances in thermodynamics, materials, cooling, and uni t size will be described. Many basic design features such as two-beari ng rotor, cold-end drive, can-annular internal combustors, CURVIC(2) c lutched turbine disks, and tangential exhaust struts have endured succ essfully for over 40 years. Progress in turbine technology includes th e clean coal technology and advanced turbine systems initiatives of th e U.S. Department of Energy.