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Bristol Theseus

1940s British turboprop aircraft engine

Field	Value
name	Theseus
image	bristol.theseus.arp.750pix.jpg
caption	Preserved Bristol Theseus
engine_type	Turboprop
manufacturer	Bristol Siddeley
first_run	18 July 1945
major_applications	Handley Page Hermes

The Theseus was the Bristol Aeroplane Company's first attempt at a gas-turbine engine design. A turboprop delivering just over 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) was chosen rather than compete with companies that were already developing turbojets. A heat exchanger to transfer waste heat from the exhaust to the compressor exit was necessary to meet a requirement for a fuel consumption comparable to a piston engine. However, the heat exchanger was abandoned after tests showed that it had a high pressure loss and only produced a fuel saving of 8%. Furthermore overall performance was reduced

As well as being one of the first engines to feature a free propeller turbine, the Theseus was the first turboprop in the world to pass a type test in January 1947. Following 156 hours of ground runs and the receipt of a test certificate from the Ministry of Supply on 28 January 1947, two Theseus engines were fitted in the outer positions of a four-engined Avro Lincoln for air tests. After ground and taxying test the Lincoln first flew on 17 February 1947.

The engine was also installed in two Handley Page Hermes 5 development aircraft.

It was soon superseded by the Proteus design with more power.

Applications

Avro Theseus Lincoln
Handley Page Hermes 5

Bristol Theseus on public display

East Midlands Aeropark Castle Donington.

Variants

;Theseus Series TH.11 :Variant without heat exchanger. Ran for first time July 18, 1945 ;Theseus Series TH.21 :Variant with heat exchanger. Ran for first time in December, 1945 ;Theseus 502:

Specifications (Theseus Th.21)

and start a new, fully-formatted line with --

Specific Fuel Consumption : 0.5 lb/equiv. hph (kg/equiv. kWh)@ Max Power, 300mph, 20000ft, ISA |power/weight=1.02 equiv. hp/lb (1.677 equiv. kW/kg) |thrust/weight=
Maximum flight rating: 2,350 hp equivalent at Max Power, 300mph, Sea Level, ISA
Maximum flight rating: 1,500 hp equivalent at Max Power, 300mph, 20,000 ft, ISA NOTE:Equivalent Power defined as Propeller Shaft Power plus (Jet Thrust * Flight Velocity/Propeller Efficiency)

References

Notes

Bibliography

Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989.

References

Making Jet Engines in World War II: Britain, Germany, and the United States', Hermione Giffard 2016, University of Chicago, p. 114-115
Turbojet History And Development 1930-1960 Volume 1, Antony Kay2007, {{ISBN. 978 1 86126 912 6, p.139
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1947/1947%20-%200602.html {{Dead link. (February 2022)
(27 March 1947). "Theseus Air Testing - First Bristol Airscrew Turbines Fly in a Lincoln : Some Features Discussed". [[Flight International.
Gunston 1989, p.34.
Test bed only
Wilkinson, Paul H.. (1946). "Aircraft Engines of the world 1946". Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons.
Practical Mechanics, February 1947, p.172
Practical Mechanics, January 1947, p.116-118

Info: Wikipedia Source

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1940s-turboprop-engines bristol-aircraft-engines mixed-compressor-gas-turbines

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