Small German Gas Turbine Engines

BMW Man Turbo Union MTU type 6012 gas turbine engine APU
BMW 6012 gas turbine engine
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Hand crank started portable gas turbine generator set.

A small gas turbine engine originally designed and built by BMW. The 6012 unit may be considered a German rival to the British Rover 1S60 and carries a similar specification. The layout however is very different to the Rover, principally a radial combustion chamber is used and also a radial inflow turbine wheel. Like the Rover some variants of the 6012 model were started by a hand crank and required considerable effort to enable self sustaining rpm to be reached!

The 6012 was used a primer mover for portable DC generator sets that could be used for jump starting aircraft. Hans Still of Hamburg produced such a generating set. Rotax (Lucas Aerospace) also produced one.

An airborne unit also existed that powered a pressure-tip propelled helicopter the DOE32.

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DOE32 Helicopter
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Rotax (Lucas) gas turbine driven generator set using the Man 6012 engine
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Portable generator built by Hans Still of Germany
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Gas turbine driven DC generator
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Man/BMW 6012 construction

Deutz T216 hand start gas turbine

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Deutz gas turbine KHD
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KHD T216 hand crank gas turbine engine water pump

Another hand-crank started stationary engine the KHD T216. A small utilitarian power unit intended for use with pumps and generators. A simple but quality built engine with a power output of some 100HP. Compared to a diesel or petrol engine of the day it would have been much lighter in weight! Fuel consumption for a unit of this size is high compared to a reciprocating engine, it would typically use over 10 gallons per hour.

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KHD T216

T216 Specification
Power Output...........................….….……………………………………………………………………....100 HP
RPM...........................….……………………………………………………………......................40,000 (Est.)
Compressor.............….……………………………........................Single Stage Centrifugal Impeller
Air Mass Flow........................………………………………………………………………………………..........N/A
Pressure Ratio..............….……………………………………………………………………......................3 (Est.)
Combustion Chamber....….………….....................Reverse Flow Single Can with Torus Scroll
Turbine..........................….……………………………………………………………....................Radial Inflow
Layout......................Single Spool Overhung with Reduction Gearbox. 3,600 rpm Output
Starting.......................….………………………………………………………………......................Hand Crank
Ignition..................................................High Energy Exciter with Generator, Pilot Burner
Fuel System.................….…………………………………………….......Hydro-mechanical Fuel Control
Lubrication..................................….………………………………………......Wet Sump Return System
Oil Spec.............................….…………………………………………………...............0-133 MIL-L-6081C
Accessories......................….……………………………………………………………………………...............None
Weight.........................….………………………………………………………………………........................50 kg
Application..........................................Industrial Stationary Engine, Fire Pump, Education
Fuel Consumption..........…………………………………………………………………………….....................N/A
Dimensions.................….……………………………………………………........................3' Square Approx

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Deutz Gas Turbine
KHD Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz T216 hand crank gas turbine engine
Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz T216 hand crank gas turbine engine

KHD/BMW Aerospace T312 secondary power system (Tornado aircraft)

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KHD/BMW T312 APU (Secondary power system)
Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz KHD BMW Aerospace T312 auxiliary power unit
Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz KHD BMW Aerospace T312 APU

The magnificent but complex T312 is a single shaft APU designed for aircraft. One of a family of small but powerful power plants and the only one to be mass produced for fitment to the Tornado multi-role aircraft. An unusually laid out engine, the power take-off and reduction gearbox are at the back near the engine hot-section, a layout necessary when adopting a twin shaft layout but this unit is a single shaft design. The power take-off and gearbox could have been mounted at the front near the compressor a much cooler location! Perhaps the original design was going to be a twin shaft layout like a British Plessey Solent for example.

An intricate and complex engine originally fitted with a two stage compressor, later versions used just a single re-worked impeller type compressor. The oil system is used to provide an external hydraulic force and is consequently built for a greater capacity than what is required for the engine and gearbox alone.

The T312 APU formed part of the Tornado Secondary Power System (SPS), when on the ground the aircraft systems could be driven by the APU independently of the main engines (RB199) and also used for starting them.

Tornado Jet Aircraft
Tornado SPS schematic
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KHD Family
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KHD T312 gas turbine APU
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KHD APU
gas turbine engine rotror KHD T312 APU
KHD T312 APU Rotor

KHD T117 turbojet engine

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KHD T117 Turbojet engine

KHD T117 Specification

Power Output......................................….………………………..........Up to 236 Lbs thrust
RPM......................................................….……………….....45,000 estimated maximum
Compressor...........….….....…...Centrifugal Impeller PR 5.5:1 Mass Flow 1.6kg/sec
Combustion Chamber...…......Reverse Flow Annular with 12 vaporising burners
Turbine..................................….……...........….………………………….....1 Stage Axial Flow
Layout.............................….….….......Single Spool with Accessory Gearbox in Nose
Starting................................….….......….………………………………..........Air Impingement
Ignition............................................….……………............Tourch Igniter with HT Plug
Fuel System...................................Engine Driven Gear Pump , Electronic Control
Lubrication................Return System, Engine Driven Gear Pump, Integral Tank
Oil Spec..........................................….…………………........Aeroshell 390, MIL-L-7808
Accessories....................................….….……………...........Alternator mounted in nose
Weight............................................….….……………………………………………….............23Kg
Application...................................................……………….……………..Target Drone/RPV