GB1117054A - Gas turbine heated hot air buoyant airships - Google Patents

Abstract

1,117,054. Airships. A. P. PEDRICK. 30 May, 1967, No. 2257/66. Heading B7W. In an airship in which the lift is provided by an enclosed volume of slightly pressurized, heated gas or air, the gas or air is heated by energy derived from the combustion of fuel in a gas turbine. As shown in Fig. 1, the airship has a main longitudinal structural member 1 in the form of a cylindrical tube, the rear end of which is coaxially secured in a tube 3 by fixed guide blades 2. The air bag 5 is secured forwardly to the tube 1 at 6 and rearwardly to the tube 3 at 4. During normal forward propulsion of the airship, air enters the nose aperture 8, is compressed by the rotary axial flow air compressor 7, is heated by burning fuel in space 9, changes direction to flow forwardly and enters the air bag 5 through controllable openings in the tube 1. The air being under pressure expands the bag and discharges therefrom through the blades 2 and turbine blades 13. 'The turbine rotor 18 drives the compressor 7 through a shaft 11 and speed increasing gearbox 10. The airship has tail fins 20 of which the lowest acts in conjunction with the flat base of a pilot and passenger cabin 21 to support .the airship in a level manner on the ground. Housed within a central body 14 to the rear' of the turbine rotor are four deflector cowls which may be pulled collectively or individually from their housings to deflect the outflowing gas stream, thus controlling the airship's line of movement. Three equi-spaced radial pipes 23 ... 25 extend from the compressor outlet to the surface of the bag 5 to provide jets of air, controlled by valves, enabling the airship to be manoeuvred whilst not being moved forward by the main jet stream. In a modification, two identical airships are linked by a structure of airfoil section, Figs. 12 to 14 (not shown), giving aerodynamic lift in forward motion. In a further modification, the airship is in the form of a " flying wing " of airfoil section and houses three gas turbine tubes, Figs. 17 to 20 (not shown). Provision may be made for cooling the gas envelope with a stream of air, and for alternatively heating the gas within the envelope by an electric heater supplied from a generator driven by the gas turbine. Finally, a winged aircraft, Figs. 33a to 33c (not shown), may have attached thereto a balloon which for vertical take-off and landing is inflated by the efflux from a gas turbine whilst in forward flight the aircraft is propelled by a pusher airscrew driven by the gas turbine, the balloon then being deflated and trailing behind the aircraft.