The Chrysler regenerative gas turbine engine has two independent turbine wheels, one driving thecompressor and accessories and one driving the car. It is a "regenerative" turbine because itutilizes two rotating heat exchangers--called regenerators--to recover heat from the exhaustgases, thus boosting fuel economy and reducing exhaust temperature. The two regeneratorsrotate in vertical planes, one on each side of the engine.
Performance Rating
The gas turbine engine is rated at 130 horsepower at 3600 rpm output shaft speed and 425 lb-fttorque at zero output shaft speed under ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure conditionsof 85 F and 29.92" Hg, respectively. However, unlike a piston engine, which is tested and ratedas an individual unit without transmission or accessories, the gas turbine power plant is rated as acomplete package including transmission and accessories. 'Ihus, owing to rating methods andtorque characteristics, the 130-hp turbine power plant gives performance comparable to a pistonengine rated at 200-hp or more.
A glance at the torque curve of the turbine engine indicates that this engine has its maximum torque available at break-away and thus provides excellent acceleration and flexibility at low speed and through out the cruising range. This characteristic enables the engine to adapt to changing conditions rapidly without special attention from the driver and with minimum transmission shifting.
For example, when the car begins to climb a grade, the engine will assume the increased load withonly slight reduction in vehicle speed. And it is virtually impossible to stall the engine under anyload condition since an increase in torque requirement merely causes the power turbine to slowdown without affecting the gas generator.