Aspects of Underwater Marine Steam Turbine Propulsion Application Benefiting From Gas Turbines

Hendy Iron Works was established 1856 in San Francisco, California [1]. It started out as a heavy machinery producer for mining. In 1906 following the devastating earthquake, the factory-rebuilt planners accepted the offer by nearby Sunnyvale city to move and rebuilt there. The business expanded and since 1946, the subsequent owners (Westinghouse and then Northrop Grumman) have been building steam turbine propulsion engines for marine application. Today’s power and propulsion generation (PPG) turbine engines whether run by steam or gas flow and independent of application are fundamentally similar. Following a discussion on terminology, general requirements, and technology features for each turbine (gas and steam), this study compares the underwater marine steam turbine (UMST) application with its requirement for sustained (long term without refueling) electricity and propulsive motion to the turbines used for aero PPG. The conceptual review then focuses on the steam turbine (ST) suggesting that certain available technologies used on existing gas turbine (GT) engines specifically in the areas of rotor arrangement, seals, moisture control, and reheating (for moisture control) are transferrable to the UMST. The outcome from this paper points to the need for further design studies to quantify the associated benefits for future advanced submarines.