Talk:Rolls-Royce Nene

Soviet copies

As is well known, some Nenes were supplied to the Soviets who then copied them and kick-started their own jet engine industry. Do we have any better details on this, and references? Coverage so far is poor - there are contradicting claims (see Whitney Straight and Clement Attlee: 25 vs. 40. Nenes, or both Derwents and Nenes? Could it have been 15 Derwents, explaining one of the discrepancies?

If anyone could source this, there's scope for an interesting and useful article on the whole issue. Andy Dingley (talk) 12:48, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

They supplied both - Derwent and Nene. This was before the Cold War-proper started and the post-war Labour government was still hoping for better relations with the Soviets. At the time, RR and AS were working on their new axial engines such as the Rolls-Royce Avon and the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire, so the Derwent and Nene technology wasn't that new, in fact, it was rather 'old hat' to the British.

Even so, it shows the naivety and stupidity of the people in government at the time, but perhaps they, like most political left-wingers, believed what they wanted to believe about the SU. Many were still doing this as late as the 1980s, disillusionment taking far longer to set in than is credible in a reasonably intelligent person. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.112.64.88 (talk) 09:40, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

The MiG-15 page has more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mig-15 Lastdingo (talk) 23:57, 11 June 2011 (UTC)

Small question

What is the right prononciation for this engine? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.27.229.162 (talk) 19:58, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

The same as for the River Nene - i.e., neen - it rhymes with queen. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.7.147.13 (talk) 18:30, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

Thank you very much. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.27.229.162 (talk) 19:46, 26 February 2013 (UTC)

You're welcome. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.7.147.13 (talk) 18:41, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

Confused

< the Nene used a double-sided centrifugal compressor for improved pressure ratio >

(i) double-sided would increase (double, even) the airflow, not the pressure ratio

(ii) Weren't the earlier engines also using a double-sided impeller? so this wasn't new on the Nene anyway? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.157.41.244 (talk) 15:10, 24 April 2014 (UTC)

IIRC, the single-sided compressor was used by de Havilland on the Goblin and Ghost, both designed by Frank Halford, RR preferring a double-sided one for its centrifugal engines such as the Welland, Derwent, and Nene, which were directly descended from Whittle's ideas. In the early days, the airflow possible - and hence power produced - for a given impeller (compressor) diameter was limited by the available materials, due to the centrifugal forces and creep, which limit the ultimate engine rpm, so for a given size, with a double-sided impeller the airflow could be increased without a corresponding increase in impeller diameter, or increase in rpm. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.148.220.131 (talk) 10:55, 14 September 2015 (UTC)