Abstract
The radial inward-flow (or centripetal) turbine for elastic fluids has been the subject of theoretical and experimental investigation by the author for the past 25 years, during which time a number of applications were made by his Company to steam and gas turbines—applications for which the centripetal turbine was found to be distinctly superior to the axial-flow type. In so far as is known, no other manufacturer used this type of turbine until recently, when several companies applied it to the construction of small gas turbines, and coincidental therewith several technical papers were written expounding its virtues. Judging from these applications and the published material, it would appear that the greatest merit of the centripetal turbine—which lies in the fact that it can be designed for specific outputs far exceeding those of the axial-flow wheel—still remains unrecognized. In this paper it will be shown, by the presentation of drawings, photographs, test results, and numerical examples, that the centripetal turbine can be designed to handle larger flows and higher enthalpy drops at higher rpm with better efficiency and lower stresses than the axial-flow turbine, and that because very high specific outputs are thus made possible, it permits the solution of design problems which cannot be solved by the axial-flow wheel.
