MolaKule
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Development of the B-52
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MolaKule
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Originally Posted By: 2oldtommy
Thanks, MolaKule for the link. With your interest in military history, I trust you have been to the Air Force Museum in Dayton OH. If not, It should be on anyone's 'bucket list'. Allow 2 days for an in depth visit.
Oldtommy
Not yet but I hope to next year.
The B-52 is near and dear to me because I developed the compressor stall supression system which kept the burner cans from exploding after a restart.
I have flown in a KC-135, a B1B as well as the B-52 when I was working with the big B.
Thanks, MolaKule for the link. With your interest in military history, I trust you have been to the Air Force Museum in Dayton OH. If not, It should be on anyone's 'bucket list'. Allow 2 days for an in depth visit.
Oldtommy
Not yet but I hope to next year.
The B-52 is near and dear to me because I developed the compressor stall supression system which kept the burner cans from exploding after a restart.
I have flown in a KC-135, a B1B as well as the B-52 when I was working with the big B.
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The link fot the museum web site is www.nationalafmuseum.af.mil This has all the info you need.
Oldtommy
Oldtommy
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: 2oldtommy
Thanks, MolaKule for the link. With your interest in military history, I trust you have been to the Air Force Museum in Dayton OH. If not, It should be on anyone's 'bucket list'. Allow 2 days for an in depth visit.
Oldtommy
+1. One of the times I've been out to AFRL I stopped in there. Went through the Air Force one exhibit. Good stuff.
Thanks, MolaKule for the link. With your interest in military history, I trust you have been to the Air Force Museum in Dayton OH. If not, It should be on anyone's 'bucket list'. Allow 2 days for an in depth visit.
Oldtommy
+1. One of the times I've been out to AFRL I stopped in there. Went through the Air Force one exhibit. Good stuff.
Another great museum thats a must see is the Pima Air Park in Tucson, Az. Need at least one full day to see everything. They have the NASA B52 mother ship that dropped the X15 among many others. Agreed the USAF Museum is the best, only place where the XB70 can be seen. And hey its free!
Loved the USAF museum when I was able to there in 2007. Out here on the left coast there is the Castle Air Force museum in Merced. It has a B52, a B47, a B17,a B18, and a B36 among others.
I usually make it down to the AF museum once every couple of years. What I really like about it is when you read the placard abouts some historical event or record, then look up and it's THE actual plane that did it. IIRC their B-52 is a Vietnam battle damaged combat vet. It does take 2 days to take it all in.
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
B-52
I watched the whole thing. I liked it, but they completely ignored the role of the B-36 and B-47, and how they figured into the whole picture. The B-52 is presented as if it just sprang forth from the imagination of the engineers, with its only ancestry being the B-29 and the abortive B-55. Nonetheless, lots of good information there.
B-52
I watched the whole thing. I liked it, but they completely ignored the role of the B-36 and B-47, and how they figured into the whole picture. The B-52 is presented as if it just sprang forth from the imagination of the engineers, with its only ancestry being the B-29 and the abortive B-55. Nonetheless, lots of good information there.
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
The B-52 is near and dear to me because I developed the compressor stall supression system which kept the burner cans from exploding after a restart....
That was an interesting video. I saw a B-52 on display at Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY. Quite a beast. Pima Air & Space mentioned above is a neat place. I'd like to get to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio someday.
Can you give us a quick summary on the compressor stall suppression system? I'm just curious.
The B-52 is near and dear to me because I developed the compressor stall supression system which kept the burner cans from exploding after a restart....
That was an interesting video. I saw a B-52 on display at Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY. Quite a beast. Pima Air & Space mentioned above is a neat place. I'd like to get to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio someday.
Can you give us a quick summary on the compressor stall suppression system? I'm just curious.
Yes, and was that on the original J-57 engine, or the later turbofans?
Very cool MolaKule...thanks for posting.
MolaKule
Staff member
Quote:
Can you give us a quick summary on the compressor stall suppression system? I'm just curious.
On start-up, the HP compressor goes through a spin-up, and when the combustion cans (cannulures) see the correct combustion temperature, the ignitors turn on and pressurized fuel is sent through the fuel rail for "light-up."
The problem was in the restart. Sometimes one or more cans did not "light-up," so the pilot or FE shut the engine down for a re-start or recycle sequence.
If there was fuel pooling in the combustion can, an attempted restart could cause an explosion and or a reverse flame could propagate to the HP compressor blades.
This system automatically defined a specified compressor restart sequence before ignition and fuel rail pressurization. In other words, we forced a liquid fuel and vapor "purge" before restart.
Another milestone was that the whole system was modeled in a System Software package to verify it's operation before installation.
One of the more 'funer' projects at the big B.
Can you give us a quick summary on the compressor stall suppression system? I'm just curious.
On start-up, the HP compressor goes through a spin-up, and when the combustion cans (cannulures) see the correct combustion temperature, the ignitors turn on and pressurized fuel is sent through the fuel rail for "light-up."
The problem was in the restart. Sometimes one or more cans did not "light-up," so the pilot or FE shut the engine down for a re-start or recycle sequence.
If there was fuel pooling in the combustion can, an attempted restart could cause an explosion and or a reverse flame could propagate to the HP compressor blades.
This system automatically defined a specified compressor restart sequence before ignition and fuel rail pressurization. In other words, we forced a liquid fuel and vapor "purge" before restart.
Another milestone was that the whole system was modeled in a System Software package to verify it's operation before installation.
One of the more 'funer' projects at the big B.
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Thanks MolaKule. I think I get it, you have to make sure the engine is not loaded up with fuel before re-start. Like a lot of things, the jet engine seems like a simple concept, but the execution is anything but simple. Lots of little things to keep in balance for one to operate successfully.
MolaKule
Staff member
I should add that this system was later adopted by PW and other engine manf.
It is now a part of the FADEC firmware.
It is now a part of the FADEC firmware.
What aircraft was launched from it? X-15?
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