Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-04
FUTURE OF TURBINE ENGINES.
What Mr.. Parsons Expects from Their Use
on Warships and Fast Passenger Steamers.
From Industries and Iron.

The general impression | have formed
from the trials Is entirely favorable to
the prospects of this novel method of
marine propulsion. The mechanical sim
plicity of the turbines and the absence of
exposed parts and of working joints will
go far 10 secure them against breakdown.
They have distinct advantage over Or
binary engines in first cost. in probable
cost OF maintenance. and in cost of at
tendance. as well as in bulk in weight
and in freedom from vibration. There
appears no reason to doubt that in regu-
lar use at sea their running will be as
consistently steady and good in every
way as 1t has been throughout these
trials.
The application Of steam turbines to
torpedo boats destroyers, gunboats. and
cruisers is to be anticipated from their
unique capacity for developing great
power and high speed with light and
compact machinery Apart. however
from these uses. il appears to NE highly
probable that they will in time be adopt
ed in the mercantile marine. The condi-
tnns in a fast passenger steamer are IA
vorable 10 the economical application of
steam turbines. and in such steamers
the smoothness of their running VIII be
Il strong recommendation. | see no
drawback likely to detract from the ad-
vantages which they plainly possess.
In conclusion. the application of the
steam turbine principle to fast ships in
general. including passenger vessels. At
lantic liners. and ships of war. would APP
pear to present no special difficulties. 1t
may be said. generally speaking, that the
larger the scale on which the engines are
made the simpler is the construction. the
higher the steam efficiency. and the low
er the speed of rotation. In the sizes
hitherto constructed tthe largest being
the engines of the Turbinial this has
been found to be the case. In applying
turbine engines to large passenger YES
sci or warship of say 30.0 /. H. P. prob
ably four screw shafts, with two screws
on each shaft, would be adopted each
of the four shafts would be driven by one
compound turbine at a rate of between
400 and 100 revolutions per minute. and
the turbines would consist of the high
pressure. the intermediate. and two low
pressure. each turbine developing APP
proxmately one-auarter of the total
power. The screw propelleIs would be
about one-half the diameter of ordinary
twin-screw propellers, and the aggregate
blade area would approximate closely to
ordinary practice. With such engines the
consumption of steam per propulsive
horse power would probably be less than
that found in the mercantile marine. and
considerably less than that found IN en-
gines of war vessels. where space and
other conditions must necessarily be con-
sidered. There is also no limitation in
steam pressure, in the case of turbines
other than those imposed by the boilers,
and it is probable that in conjunction
with water-tube boilers higher pressures
than those at present usual would be
generally adopted. With turbine engines
in passenger vessels, there would arise
no questions of vibration from machinery
or propellerS. and in the event of one
screw shaft or one motor becoming dis
abled. the one affected can be more
readily taken out of action than is the
case with ordinary engines. and the
parts, being lighter. can be more easily
dealt with by the staff on board: thus
the liability TO serious breakdown is con-
Siderably reduced.