Turbines

["Chris and Ranae Procyk" <procyk19@domain.elided>]

>Regarding the turbine engine applications--economy killed the
>experimental models in the 60s.

My brother was telling me about turbines- it seems that they are highly
efficient- much more than our 4-strokes as long as they can be kept within a
really tiny speed band- like 1%.  Otherwise they're h*ll on fuel.  Well, you
can image the impossiblility of keep a light turbine from bogging when
trying to move one of Chrysler's 60's era land yachts.

The Pennsy S-2 was actually more efficient than diesel-electrics above 40
mph.  But it cost a mint to stop it anywhere!  So they never built another
one.  The UP messed around with them a lot.  But all the RR units were steam
turbines, which I don't think is the same thing as a gas turbine.

The airplanes do have a better shot at running at a constant max(?) rpm
(don't they feather the props or something for speed adjustments) for a long
period of time, plus the power/weight ratio is mind-boggling compared to a
piston engine.

>Perhaps the idea of a hybrid with a small turbine driving a generator at a
constant high
>speed and using a battery as a reservoir is something that will someday
>work.  But you can tell this will never be as simple as a Model T,

Actually, with a EE background this sounds alot simpler to me!

In Use: 70 1210 4x4 TE, 73 1210 WM
Project (2nd time) 67 1000B PU
Parts: 67 1000B TA   68 1100 4x4 TA  72 1010 TA