A serious question

[Bergman]

Well at least to start with.

Increasing tax on diesel, lots of horror stories about engine failures. Is there a point at which a gas turbine becomes a sensible alternative to diesel?

Lighter, smaller, less vibration and no tax on parafin.

OK they gobble the stuff but must cost in at some point, and with weight saved boat goes even faster, bigger wash to annoy us raggies. No sorry didn't mean that

Once played with a generator driven by gas turbine, lovely thing, half a megawatt out, and fraction of size and weight of a diesel.

Perhaps newest status symbol?

 

[jfm]

There was a thread earlier about this BB doing a diy round-britain boat powered by a gas turbine bort cheap from a BAC 1-11 plane. We nearly did it, not quite enuf time availalble, pity mtb-carburettors wasn't around then...

they're light but that's only the engine. When you add the weight of a truly massive reduction gearbox they can weigh as much as equivalent diesel. But not a totally mad idea, see frexample the mega yacht "Thunder" and stuff like www.wesellboats.com/boa000029.htm

 

[kimhollamby]

Great idea and, having seen a Volvo gas turbine/electric motor hybrid concept on a car a few years back, always wondered when it might happen.

Biggest problems would be noise and also how to convert very high rpm to low prop rpm in a package that was reliable, offered reasonable handling around the marina and didn't cost the earth. Not as easy as it seems. But heh, that whine as you started up would be something, wouldn't it?

On the list of positives, it could be used on a variety of fuels and, provided protected reasonably well from the marine environment, service intervals would be in the tens of thousands of hours.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[longjohnsilver]

Interesting point, was discussing exactly that with friends in pub last week, we could not understand why some of the large powerboats, say 50' + are not fitted with them. As you say, smaller, lighter so boat should be much quicker.

I guess we must have missed something, no doubt someone can enlighten us all.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Is this the old Virgin Atlantic Challenger? From about the same period and seems to bear some resemblance.

 

[Bergman]

Gearbox a problem I see

How about some sort of hydraulic drive?

Thought thinking about it the gearbox on a helicopter must do a similar thing to drive rotor. can't be that heavy or wouldn't fly

 

[ToMo]

But whats the best guess on some kind of user friendly reactor being shoehorned into a private yacht in say 5 years ? either it gets banned world wide or they develop the thing...it can't stay 'as is' for much longer surely?
TôMö
p.s. yes I am being serious, and yes I do know a couple of boffins in the biz!

 

[Guest]

Hook up a heavy duty jet unit with the steering on it .That would reduce drive train problems / increase power out put and go like stink .You would be in the realms of 007 then ,what was that film called . Hell of a job putting great big foils on.
There were small jet units around ,I even sold one but cant remember the name of it . The drive was through a toothed belt arrangement .
Mick

 

[jfm]

Re: not the virgin boat

No, VAC was 1986 and much slower than this if I recall, it was 50kts tops ( a sunseeker thunderhawk runs rings round it) and had twin MTUs with ZF gearboxes, coupled I think to surface drives. Engines were about 2000hp each.

 

[jfm]

5000hp through a toothed belt not a good idea IMHO. If packs up, which it will, could tie girlfriends stockings around it?? ;-)

 

[Guest]

No a direct link ,hydraulic drive would be no good because you lose 30% efficiency, mind you at least it would be a constant .
Mick

 

[jfm]

Re: good point re chopper gearboxes

You may be right. Helicopter gearboxes can take 2000hp and have 50:1 reduction, and at a guess look like they weigh 300kg. Could be onto something here.

Eg http://www.klimov.ru/net/klimov/eng11_e.htm

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Hang on a minute folks, this has been done on a previous post a few months ago.

If you want to see videos of a gas turbine boat ripping it up at over 100mph on a lake using what they call a "surface drive", then cut and paste this link. These catermeran hulled boats are available for sale at only £127k a piece. (cheap at half the price)

http://www.n2speedturbineboats.com

Great fun to watch - note the video (I think its titled "feel the power") that pans onto the drivers face - his cheeks are actually flapping in the head wind !!

Now one of these really would annoy a raggie!!

 

[Stemar]

Re: annoy a raggie

Nah... It wouldn't dare go out in except in a flat calm. Alternatively, not for long, then when it hits a wave and lands upside down we'd laugh like a drain

 

[Guest]

Interesting thought. By reactor, I asume you mean nuclear reactor. Some Russian Ice breakers are nuclear powered, as are some US surface warships in addition to nuclear submarines.

I am sure your boffin friends will have told you that the reactor size itself is not the problem, its the ancillary equipment and the personnel that one would presumably need to operate it whilst underway, not to mention fuelling and de-fuelling costs etc. I would imagine that the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate would require licensing of the vessel whilst in British Waters to ensure that its use did not pose an unacceptable risk to operators and the public.

Robbie W