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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1418.PDF
270 FLIGHT Metrovick Beryl. Two are installed in the S.R/AI fighter. Napier Naiad airscrew-turbine with ducted spinner air intake. The Rolls-Royce Oerwent V, two of which power the Meteor fighter. flie Rolls-Royce"tfene as built in Britain, America and trance. BRITAIN'S POWER UNITS . . . Metropolitan-Vickers Beryl THE only British turbojet flying with annular com-bustion chamber and axial-flow compressor, the Beryl, has undergone further flight development duringthe year and in twin installation has flown in proto- types of the S.R/Ai fighter flying boat. The powerrating has been raised to the full design figure of 3,8501b thrust. Research continues both with newMetrovick designs and with the unique F,3 and F.5 projects, which are respectively fitted with ducted fanand open fan thrust augmenters. Particularly good fuel consumption figures have been achieved with allthree units. In the S.R/Ai the aircraft accessories are mountedon remote gear boxes beneath the main air intakes. Napier Naiad F is almost exactly a year since the Naiad propjetmade its first appearance, and in the intervening period full details of its design and construction havebecome available and the first unit has been installed in the nose of a four-engined test bed for the com-mencement of flight development. Several installations have been proposed for the Naiad, and coupled unitshave been mentioned. In spite of its 1,500 s.h.p. output, the Naiad can boast the smallest overaD dia-meter among all British gas turbines. In order to ensure that sufficient air can enter through the verysmall intake area available on an engine of such small diameter, a ducted spinner intake has been developedon which the airscrew blade roots are also carefully faired to avoid interference with the air stream. Rolls-Royce Nene and Derwent STILL retaining its position as the outstanding mili-tary power unit of the world, the Rolls-Royce Nene is now to be found in the majority of our fighterprototypes, not to mention at least one important American design. Nenes are being built under licencein America and France. As a result of intensive development, both economy and overhaul life of theNene have been increased, and although it already delivers 5,000 lb thrust, this figure may be regardedas well within the capacity of the latest Nenes. In addition to its military applications, two Nenes areinstalled in the Viking which thus becomes the first pure-jet air transport. Pairs of Nenes are also beinginstalled in the Tudor VIII for research. It would not be incorrect to regard the Derwent 5as a small version of the Nene, and, in fact, these units are very similar in design, the Nene having beendeveloped from the early Derwents, and the Derwent 5 having followed the Nene. Both are stocky unitshaving centrifugal compressors with, double-sided impellers and a single turbine stage. From the militarypoint of view Derwents are of great importance to this country as the power units of the Gloster Meteor 4s,large numbers of which are now flowing into R.A.F. service. Interesting buried installations of Derwentsmay be seen in the second A.W.52 research aircraft. Rolls-Royce Dart and Clyde IN view of their other important commitments theRolls-Royce company have been compelled to give somewhat lower priority to their turboprop designs.For this reason little more will be heard of the Clyde at least for the time being, and the Dart will not beseen at Farnborough, except for the four experimental units installed and flying in the Vickers Viscount.Darts have been specified as alternative power units for the Balliol and Athena trainers, but it is unlikely thatmore than one or two will be produced for develop- ment and research work. Like its competitors, theDart is flying experimentally in the nose of a four- engined test bed. Both Clyde and Dart turbopropsare understood to have^completed trial type test runs.
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