Gas Turbine Engineering and Technology Group
The Gas Turbine Engineering and Technology Group, led by Professor Riti Singh, focuses on the gas turbine engine. This involves applications of the gas turbine to aircraft and marine propulsion, electrical power generation, oil and gas pumping and chemical process plant.
The group provides an education and training programme which includes the MSc Thermal Power, doctoral research and a wide portfolio of Continuing Professional Development courses.
This activity is strongly supported by industrially applied research for many customers. This is based on advanced simulation tools that are used to add value to the activities of many partners and strengthened by close links developed with the international propulsion, power, oil and gas industries.
Some of the many areas of interest are Simulation, Diagnostics, Selection of Equipment, Life Cycle Costs and Power, Propulsion and Power, Energy and the Environment.
Rolls Royce University Technology Centre in Performance Engineering
The UTC was established by Rolls-Royce to undertake long-term research in the broad field of performance engineering covering aircraft engines and integration and other applications such as marine and stationary gas turbines. Current projects focus on the fields of simulation, analysis and novel cycles. Specifically low-speed whole engine performance modelling, core modelling and shaft overspeeds, high by-pass turbofan modelling, and variable and advance cycles including future air frame engine solutions. The interactive relationship with Rolls-Royce offers recruitment opportunities to UTC Masters and Doctoral researchers and access to high quality staff for the company.
Centre for Gas Turbine Diagnostics and Life Cycle Costs
Cranfield’s performance and diagnostics engineering history is characterised by close links with the propulsion, power, oil and gas industries. Areas of expertise are performance, diagnostics, selection of equipment, novel power and propulsion cycles, and asset management and life cycle costs. An international client base include EoN, the European Union, EPSRC, MEA and RMC. Our key long standing activities benefit and enhance the relationships with gas turbine users in a wide range of applications.
Gas Turbine Engineering in the context of Energy and the Environment.
Within the European projects VITAL and NEWAC Cranfield is leading the delivery and use of the TERA (Technoeconomic Environmental Risk Analysis) for the evaluation of advanced engine concepts designed to meet challenging environmental goals. The origins of the TERA date to more than a decade of work on novel cycles for power generation and propulsion systems for civil aircraft focusing on the environment. The core of the TERA is a detailed thermodynamic model of the power plant. This delivers a representative view of component and whole engine performance in a wide range of operating conditions. Surrounding this core there is a layer of additional models, aircraft, economic, emissions, noise, weight, etc. Risk analysis is then carried out at two levels. Firstly financial risk is examined through variability of income, costs and prices. The second level of risk examined is from the perspective of the technologies employed. The outcome is an economic and environmental picture of power plant performance that takes into account variable demand patterns. The results are very useful for comparisons, assessment of life cycle costs and investment appraisals for radically different power and propulsion systems.
