Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 282 Spey Ship Modification: The British Voluntarily Participate!

"Gas generator?"

"That's right. Aircraft engines use combustion chambers, but if you convert them to gas turbines, you need to add a gas generator in the middle. Compared to the combustion chamber of an aircraft engine, it is much easier, and the combustion temperature is also lower. At present, 1200 degrees Celsius is enough."

Everyone's eyes widened; this temperature was unusually low!
The Spey second-generation engine has an internal combustion chamber temperature of 1300-1400 degrees Celsius. After reaching the turbine blades, the temperature drops to 1156 degrees Celsius. After all, the Spey engine still uses solid turbine blades. If you replace them with advanced hollow turbine blades produced in the East, the temperature can be increased by more than 100 degrees Celsius.

Because the Capital Aviation Academy can provide advanced turbine blades, the turbine blade temperature of the WS-9 engine produced in Dongfang has long been stable at around 1,300 degrees Celsius. Although it is still far from the 1,500 degrees Celsius of the advanced American F100 engine, it is already much better than the original Spey.

Right now, the temperature in the combustion chamber is only 1200 degrees Celsius, but by the time it reaches the turbine blades, it might be just over 1000 degrees Celsius!

If turbine blades can last for 1,000 hours at 1,300 degrees Celsius, then if the temperature is lowered to 1,000 degrees Celsius, the lifespan should be at least 30,000 hours!

Schroeder just used lifespan to scare Easterners, but in reality, there's no need to worry about lifespan at all!
"Mr. Schroeder, your SM1 gas turbine also uses temperature reduction to extend its lifespan, right?" Li Guofu asked, looking at Schroeder.

"Ahem, well... I'm not in charge of gas turbines, so I don't know much about it."

This guy is actually pretending not to understand!
"Let's talk about the final turbine. Its operating temperature should be around 800 degrees Celsius, which is similar to the operating temperature of our steam turbine. As long as we coordinate with the steam turbine manufacturer, it will be about the same. After these improvements, our gas turbine should be able to achieve a power output of 15 megawatts, which will meet the Navy's needs."

Gas turbines and steam turbines are not that different. Therefore, in later generations, many steam turbine factories in China switched to producing gas turbines, and even produced a 100-megawatt gas turbine. Then the media started to boast that this thing could be installed on an aircraft carrier, and so on.

In reality, gas turbines used on land are all single-shaft designs, large in size and weight, and lack the ability to withstand the swaying of waves at sea. A 100-megawatt gas turbine is simply not suitable for use on warships and is merely wishful thinking by laymen.

It must be either a modified aero-engine or a specially developed one, and it must at least have a dual-shaft structure. However, the power turbine at the back can still be based on ordinary steam turbines.

Schroeder chuckled inwardly. These Easterners still don't understand!

"Comrade Qin Liang, Mr. Schroeder just said that bearings are also a big problem," Li Guofu continued to remind him.

"Well, the reasons for this problem are complicated. For example, because the gas turbine is running on the sea surface, the air density is high enough, resulting in a relatively large axial force on the thrust bearing. Another example is that there is no airflow blowing on the compressor to buffer it. However, this is not a big problem and can be completely avoided through design."

Qin Liang answered decisively: "After all, converting to a shipboard gas turbine would require adding a buffer device anyway, so this problem can be solved at the same time."

The swaying of warships at sea negatively impacts the operation of gas turbines. The Russians' 25,000-tonnage was specifically designed to address this issue during the design phase, while the Americans' modified aircraft used special mountings to cushion the impact.

These are all things that need to be considered and improved. We can also take the engine bearing issue into account at the same time. It's not a difficult problem to solve.

What seemed like a big problem to everyone else was no problem at all to Qin Liang!
A huge weight has finally been lifted off everyone's shoulders.

"Our aero-engine department at Northwestern Polytechnical University will collaborate with you to solve these problems and provide our warships with advanced power systems. Moreover, this improvement is just a starting point. In the future, we will continue to improve the performance of this gas turbine, eventually reaching 20 megawatts, 25 megawatts, or even 30 megawatts..."

This is not bragging. Take a look at the LM2500 gas turbine. This gas turbine, which the Americans improved from the TF39 engine, initially had a power of only 18755 kilowatts, or 25,000 horsepower. Later, the power soared to 34841 kilowatts, or 47,000 horsepower, almost doubling.

"Okay, we've established the technical roadmap. The next step is improvement. This project requires the use of Northwestern Polytechnical University's exascale computing computer, so the research and development will be conducted at Northwestern Polytechnical University..."

"Qin!" Schroeder suddenly spoke up, "Could we... Rolls-Royce, join in?"

Qin Liang was incredibly pleased; he had laid out such a huge bait, and finally, the fish had taken the bait!
Although he talked for a long time, it was all theoretical. In practice, there will be many problems, and it is normal for a project to take three to five years.

As for the navy... Qin Liang wasn't familiar with them, and he didn't know if anyone in the navy still held the idea that it was better to buy than to build. What if they saw that the progress here was slow and went to purchase LM2500 gas turbines?
After all, the gas turbines used on those two Type 052 destroyers in history were purchased from abroad. It is said that a total of five were purchased back then, four of which were installed on the 112 and 113 ships. The remaining one was intended to be copied, but after opening it up... they found that they couldn't handle it.

The Spey was scrapped because the LM2500 gas turbine could not be replicated. By the 1990s, naval warships were without power and even had to use boilers. The problem was finally solved when the 25,000-ton naval engine was introduced.

Rolls-Royce's SM1 is already a mature Spey-type ship modification. If Rolls-Royce wants to join in, they should provide some reference opinions, right? In this way, we can solve the Spey modification problem without importing the SM1 patent.

"This...this isn't quite right, is it? After all, this might involve your Rolls-Royce patents. If you provide the technology and we have to pay for it, we don't have the money!"

“No money required!” Schroeder said. “We’re willing to provide technical support! As long as… we can get involved in computer-aided design together.”

“Alright.” Qin Liang nodded. “If it’s free, we can accept it, but… we have to make it clear first that the advanced products we develop are our own, so don’t you dare plagiarize them.”

Everyone present was trying to suppress their laughter. Comrade Qin Liang was really stingy, while the British... actually agreed to learn the technology.

"That's natural. We have more advanced aircraft engines that are more suitable for modifying into gas turbines. For us, the Spey is already outdated."

Qin Liang's eyes shone brightly: "That's true. Your RB211 series engines have high power and strong performance, and are indeed suitable for conversion into gas turbines. If you need them, you can let us help you with the modification..."

The RB211, the three-rotor engine that almost bankrupted Rolls-Royce! Once this engine was developed, Rolls-Royce established itself as a behemoth in the field of aero-engines, sharing the market with General Electric and leaving Pratt & Whitney in the dust.

In its later development, the RB211 was upgraded and renamed Trent. The Trent 800 was further improved into the MT30 gas turbine for ships, which was used on the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and is the world's largest marine gas turbine.

Schroeder's expression was complicated: "There's no need to improve this engine yet; we can wait until later..."

They certainly wouldn't take this advanced engine to the East for improvement; what if the East learned the technology? They just wanted to learn the advanced design methods from the Spey-class battleships in the East and then use them to improve their own RB211 engines.

"Okay, we'll talk about it later." Qin Liang smiled. "That kind of engine can be improved into a gas turbine with a power of over 30 megawatts. Amphibious ships and light aircraft carriers that are still burning boilers can be equipped with it. Once it is improved, the market prospects will definitely be huge. Of course, you have your own considerations, so I, as an outsider, won't say anything more."

Now, Western warships have all switched to gas turbines, and supercarriers use nuclear power. But what about those that are neither here nor there? For example, the Marine Corps' amphibious assault ships still need boilers. Qin Liang's statement was just a way of urging the other side to make improvements and cooperate with the East.

As for whether or not they'll take the bait, we'll see later.

"Okay, that concludes today's meeting. I should be going now."

"Wait, Comrade Qin Liang, it's already noon... why don't you stay for lunch?" Li Guofu quickly said.

Qin Liang patted his belly: "Good!"

canteen.

"Comrade Qin Liang, we've discovered that the exhaust temperature of the gas turbine is still very high. So, is it possible to make use of this heat?" Engineer Zhang Chi cautiously asked at the dinner table.

High-temperature, high-pressure steam outputs power through the turbine, but the exhaust temperature remains very high. Therefore, warships need specialized cooling systems to lower the temperature. The engine intake of a warship is surrounded by a chimney, which uses cool air to cool the exhaust gas.

Russian engineers had already noticed this problem, so they installed heat exchangers in the exhaust channels. The steam from the combustion process drives a turbine, creating a unique combined combustion and steam system. The advantage is higher efficiency and greater energy utilization; the disadvantage is a significant increase in system complexity.

The Russians love to do this: they use the exhaust gas from gas turbines to power boilers, and continue to use heavy oil boilers for nuclear power. It seems like they have an extra layer of protection, but in reality... it's too complicated.

Qin Liang shook his head.

"The purpose of using gas turbines on warships is to reduce the complexity of the power plant. By doing this, we will artificially increase the complexity. In particular, our plan to install four gas turbines on a 6,000-ton warship is already costly. Adding more equipment would not be worthwhile."

Zhang Chi nodded: "Oh."

"Our most important task now is to develop this gas turbine. The British need to make good use of it..." Qin Liang instructed again. During the development process, we should ask for advice as much as possible. If the British want to stay in our engine room, we should give them more guidance. If necessary, we can also use some tricks.

The honeymoon period of the past ten years or so is the most precious. We must take advantage of this time to acquire as much advanced technology as possible from the West, and do so at no cost. After 89, when all of our domestic industries have moved beyond the initial imitation stage and gained self-development capabilities, we will be able to compete with the West!

Northwestern Polytechnical University, Department of Navigation Engineering.

After the aircraft carrier project was demonstrated, the Third Department was officially renamed the Department of Navigation Engineering, or simply the Navigation Department. The aircraft carrier demonstration project progressed smoothly. However, everyone knew that it was just a demonstration project. With the country's current economic strength, it was simply impossible to start construction on an aircraft carrier.

However, we definitely need an air defense destroyer!

The opportunity for the three-line system has arrived!
Since receiving the spirit of the 8613 Project meeting, the Third Department has been working frantically. This summer, the students of the Third Department have also stayed on campus for the first time ever. They are going to participate in the design of a 6,000-ton displacement warship and then submit it to the capital for bidding!
They're serious about competing with Institute 701 for projects!

Moreover, being in a good position gives them an advantage. Since almost all the subsystems were developed in Chang'an, they can easily obtain the relevant information and adapt them in advance, so their progress will definitely be faster than that of Institute 701!

"Professor Ma, the Spey ship modification project at Factory 430 has been officially confirmed. They will also use the computer system from Northwestern Polytechnical University for the design. We will definitely be the first to get the engine data." Senior student Chen Shuguang ran over excitedly.

"Really? In that case, our power system can move into the detailed design phase. Next, we'll match the transmission system and the propeller. The parallel gears aren't difficult; the key is the propeller. Nowadays, the world's most advanced warships are using variable-pitch propellers, which not only improve efficiency and reduce fuel consumption but also eliminate the need for reverse gears..."

Although everyone is only responsible for the design, the production also needs to be carefully considered. If it cannot be produced domestically, it will have to be purchased from abroad, and the design may even need to be modified, which will turn it into a major project.

"Hmm, we'll have to go to the Mechanical Engineering Department for this!" Professor Ma stood up. "I'll head over right now."

A propeller is a complex geometric shape that requires an advanced multi-axis gantry CNC milling machine to manufacture. Currently, there is no such equipment in China, and it is unknown whether the mechanical engineering department can build such a machine...

As Teacher Ma spoke, she walked towards the door, and then... she saw someone walk in.

"Qin Liang, you're finally back!"

"Yes, we've been wanting to discuss this with you for a while now!"

After having lunch at Factory 430, Qin Liang went straight to the Third Ship. Of course, he wanted to help the Third Ship gain the Navy's approval. Qin Liang wasn't particularly knowledgeable about warship design, but having seen so many warships in his previous life, he knew how to design a more beautiful shape.

I didn't expect to hear this discussion as soon as I got to the door.

The Type 052 destroyer uses variable-pitch propellers, which cannot be produced domestically. Orders were placed with Europe, specifically with the long-established Swedish propeller manufacturer, Kameva. However…

The first batch of products leaked oil, and the second batch had a center of gravity deviation! The Swedes stubbornly insisted that it was a normal deviation, so General Jin, who went to receive the products, took chalk and did the calculations on the blackboard to show them where the error was. Only then did he convince the Swedes to produce a brand new third batch of propellers, and finally produce qualified products.

Now, do we still need to go to Europe to order and tolerate the low processing quality in Europe?

"Let's go ask in the fourth department!"

From the very beginning of the Super 7 project, the Fourth Series developed CNC machine tools controlled by the 8086 chip to process high-precision flap actuators and other components. Later, Factory 132 bought a batch of them. Still later, the WS-11 small-thrust engine they produced also used CNC machining.

Therefore, although Qin Liang had never heard of the multi-axis CNC machine tool needed to process propellers before, he still had high expectations for it.

We've already developed lithography machines, a product monopolized by COCOM. So how could Northwestern Polytechnical University possibly struggle with propeller manufacturing?

Department 4, Laboratory.

"Currently, CNC machine tools can operate on five axes simultaneously, including three axes in the Cartesian coordinate system and two rotary axes. Our fourth department has long mastered this five-axis linkage technology. Many factories that come to purchase products with five-axis linkage. As for the higher axes, they are actually auxiliary axes used to ensure the accuracy of repeated clamping." Professor Yang immediately began to explain after hearing the purpose of Qin Liang and Teacher Ma's visit.

The X-axis five-linkage, where X is greater than 5, is an advanced machine tool that is still talked about with great interest in later generations. It is equipment that COCOM absolutely embargoes. In essence, it is still a five-axis linkage CNC machine tool, which is already the limit that CNC machine tools can achieve.

As for the other axes, they are all auxiliary axes. In some cases, it is necessary to process the side of the fixture. At this time, the workpiece must be unloaded and re-clamped, which will cause errors. Therefore, it is very important to use an auxiliary mechanical device to automatically clamp and reduce the positioning error of repeated clamping.

"Yes, that's the idea. Can our fourth department build it?"

"Of course, but..."

"Just what?"

"We currently only manufacture small CNC machine tools, and we also have CNC machine tools with five-axis linkage, but these are all used to manufacture small parts such as fan blades. We have never manufactured a large gantry-type nine-axis five-axis linkage CNC milling machine used to manufacture propellers, so..."

"Say it!"

"You need to give us a large sum of research and development funding, at least... five million." Teacher Yang said somewhat embarrassedly.

Although their fourth division made a lot of money, the research and development costs of this new machine tool were still a huge burden for them.

If it were other wealthy departments, like Department 1 or Department 5, five million would be a drop in the bucket. But Department 3 doesn't have much money at all and can't provide research funding for Department 4. This project... can't apply for funding from the relevant departments either. Now, everyone knows that Northwestern Polytechnical University is rolling in money. Want funding from higher authorities? Dream on.

"That's easy. We'll just spread the word, and people will place orders. The deposits from them will cover our R&D costs!"

In a market economy, things should be done according to market rules! We've developed this machine, but isn't it still meant for shipyards? The research and development funding should, of course, come from domestic shipyards!
Qin Liang was unaware that his news would immediately attract uninvited guests.

　PS: Schematic diagrams of gas turbine retrofits, mature retrofit examples, and motion axes of multi-axis CNC machine tools.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)