Cold air investigation of 4 1/2-stage turbine with stage loading factor of 4.66 and high specific work output. 1: Overall performance

The turbine developed design specific work output at design speed at a total pressure ratio of 6.745 with a corresponding efficiency of 0.855. The efficiency (0.855)was 3.1 points lower than the estimated efficiency quoted by the contractor in the design report and 0.7 of a point lower than that determined by a reference prediction method. The performance of the turbine, which was a forced vortex design, agreed with the performance determined by the prediction method to about the same extent as did the performance of three reference high stage loading factor turbines, which were free vortex designs