The Development of a Modular System to Burn Farm Animal Waste to Generate Heat and Power

Not Available The Return Flow Cascade (RFC) is a new technology which provides stable cooling of rotating turbine blades to much lower temperature than the combustion gas. Liquid coolant, searld withinthe blade structure, is driven by radial aceleration to a series of cascade shelves within the blade, resulting in uniform evaporative cooling. The vapor is condensed by heat exchange to low pressure cooling air at the blade root, and the liqued recycled. Stable cooling at very high heat flux has been experimentally demonstrated, usng a circular cylinder as the heat transfer structure. This program will develop RFC technology with realistic blade and condensor geometries, selected for rapid transition to gas turbine utilization. The Phase I program will develop a detailed blade and condenser hardware design, with measurements planned for the Phase II effort. The overall result will be demonstration of high temperature, high heat flux RFC operaton, providing a baseline blade design an system definitionfor integration into an engine. Mit and Pratt & Whitney will provide technical support and review. This cooling technology enables engine operation at higher combustion temperature, with corresponding increase in engine specific power. Also, a wide range of relatively low cost, high strength blade materials become viable.