Handbook of Turbomachinery Second Edition Revised - Ventech!

INTRODUCTION
7
Fundamentals of Turbine Design
David M. Mathis
Honeywell Aerospace, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A.
Turbines are used to convert the energy contained in a continuous flow of
fluid into rotational mechanical energy of a shaft. Turbines are used in a
wide range of applications, in a wide variety of sizes. Large single-stage
turbines are used for power generation in hydroelectric dams, while large
multistage turbines are used in steam power plants. Aircraft propulsion
engines (turbofans, turbojets, and turboprops) use multistage turbines in
their power and gas generator sections. Other, less obvious uses of turbines
for aircraft are in auxiliary power units, ground power units, starters for
main engines, turboexpanders in environmental controls, and constantspeed
drives for electrical and hydraulic power generation. Rocket engines
use turbines to power pumps to pressurize the propellants before they reach
the combustion chamber. Two familiar consumer applications of turbines
are turbochargers for passenger vehicles and wind turbines (windmills).
Many excellent texts have been written regarding the design and
analyses of turbines [1–3]. There is also a large institutional body of
knowledge and practices for the design and performance prediction of
Copyright © 2003 Marcel Dekker, Inc.