The Rolls-Royce RB.50 Trent was the first Rolls-Royce turboprop engine.[1]
| RB.50 Trent | |
|---|---|
| |
| A Rolls-Royce Trent turboprop on display at the Science Museum (London) | |
| Type | Turboprop |
| Manufacturer | Rolls-Royce Limited |
| First run | June 1944 |
| Major applications | Gloster Meteor(Trent Meteor version) |
| Developed from | Rolls-Royce Derwent |
| Developed into | Rolls-Royce Clyde |
Design and development edit
The Trent was based on an invention by Sir Frank Whittle. It was a Derwent Mark II turbojet engine with a cropped impeller (turbine unchanged)[2] and a reduction gearbox (designed by A A Rubbra) connected to a five-bladed Rotol propeller. The Trent ran for 633 hours on test before being installed in a Gloster Meteor jet fighter which flew for the first time on 20 September 1945 at the start of a 298-hour flight test programme.[3]
Applications edit
Engines on display edit
A preserved Rolls-Royce Trent turboprop engine is on display at the London Science Museum.
A preserved RB50 Trent is displayed at the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust in Derby.
Specifications edit
General characteristics
- Type: Turboprop
- Length:
- Diameter:
- Dry weight: 1,000 lb turbine unit, reduction gear 250lb, propeller 250 lb, total engine/propeller weight 1,500 lb[4]
Components
- Compressor: 1-stage double-sided centrifugal compressor
- Combustors: 10 x can combustion chambers
- Turbine: Single-stage axial
- Fuel type: Kerosene
- Oil system: pressure feed, dry sump with scavenge, cooling and filtration
Performance
- Maximum power output: 750 shp, with 1,250 lb (570 kg) residual thrust
See also edit
- Jendrassik Cs-1, first turboprop engine
Related development
Comparable engines
Related lists
References edit
Notes edit
- ^ Gunston 1989, p.147.
- ^ "Rolls-Royce Aero Engines" Bill Gunston, Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989, ISBN 1-85260-037-3, p.119
- ^ Pugh, Peter (2001). The Magic of a Name, Part Two. Icon Books. ISBN 1-84046-284-1.
- ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1946/1946%20-%200240.html [dead link]
Bibliography edit
- Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9
External links edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rolls-Royce RB.50 Trent.
- "The First Propeller Turbine Engine to Fly" a 1946 Rolls-Royce advertisement in Flight
- "Know-How From the Trent" a 1947 Flight article
- Trent Meteor "In the Air" - a 1948 Flight article on flying the Trent Meteor
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