Solar Turbines
Encyclopedia
Solar Turbines Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.
, designs and manufactures industrial gas turbine
s for on- and off-shore electrical power generation, for marine propulsion and for producing, processing and transporting natural gas and oil. Solar Turbines is one of the world's leading producers of industrial gas turbines up to 30000 hp. There are more than 13,900 Solar Turbines gas turbine systems installed in 98 countries worldwide that have collectively logged more than 1.7 billion hours of use.
Founded in San Diego, California
, United States
in 1927 as Prudden-San Diego Airplane Company, the company initially designed, manufactured and sold airplanes.
After the departure of its founder, George H. Prudden
, the company changed its name to Solar Aircraft Company in 1929.
The Great Depression
of 1929 forced Solar Aircraft Company to re-focus its efforts into manufacturing aircraft components for other manufacturers. The company grew considerably during World War II
and was forced to diversify into non-aircraft products due to the steep drop in business after the war.
Solar Aircraft Company's expertise in hard-to-manufacture parts able to withstand high-temperatures led to contracts to produce jet engine components. Solar Aircraft began to design and manufacture completed turbine engines for the United States military for applications such as auxiliary power unit
s. Solar Aircraft continued to expand its product line and grow its business until it was purchased by International Harvester Company
in early 1960, becoming the Solar Division of International Harvester in 1963.
In 1973 the Solar Division of International Harvester exited the aerospace industry to focus solely on industrial turbines. In 1975 the development and manufacture of the Solar Division's radial engines was moved into a newly formed Radial Engines Group, renamed the Turbomach Division in 1980.
Solar Turbines Incorporated became a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Tractor Co.
after Caterpillar purchased the assets of the Solar Division and the Turbomach division from International Harvester on May 31, 1981. In 1985, Caterpillar sold the Turbomach Division to Sundstrand Corporation
.
radial engines. Due to the Great Depression
in 1929, the company was unable to market the aircraft and made only three airplanes.
exhaust manifolds. By 1939 Solar Aircraft Company had a work force of 229. Military orders during World War II
led to rapid expansion and by the end of the war the company had a workforce of 5,000, largely part of a massive effort to built more than 300,000 exhaust manifolds for U.S. airplanes. Business dropped considerably after World War II and the management developed a plan to diversify into producing other stainless steel products including caskets, frying pans, bulk milk containers and even redwood furniture.
s, including the General Electric I-40
and a contract from the US Navy to build an afterburner
for the Westinghouse J34
. Solar Aircraft Company also won contracts for the Allison J33, Allison J35
, Avro Canada Orenda
, and Bristol Olympus.
Solar Aircraft Company's work in the jet engine field convinced the company's president, Edmund Price, that the turbine would be the main prime mover in the future. Solar Aircraft Company assembled a team under the direction of Paul Pitt in 1946 and started developing a small 80 hp axial-flow turbine as an auxiliary power unit
for the US Army Air Force's Convair B-36
strategic bomber
. The Army eventually canceled this contract, but Solar Aircraft Company soon won a contract from the US Navy in 1947 for a 250 kW system to provide emergency power on ships. First running in 1949, the T-400 would go on to provide power on minesweeper
s and landing craft
.
In 1947 Leon Wosika and Eric Balje set up a second design line and developed a centrifugal-flow system that was much more compact than Solar's previous designs. Originally known as the MPM-45, the unit was delivered as the 45 hp "Mars". The Navy purchased the Mars to power portable fire fighting pumps on ships and gave it the designation T45. In 1956 the Navy turned to Solar to provide a slightly larger design to power a small helicopter, the Gyrodyne XRON-1
. Solar Aircraft Company responded by developing a slightly larger version of the Mars, the 55 hp "Titan", which the Navy designated the T62. When the Navy abandoned development of Gyrodyne's XRON helicopter, Solar Aircraft Company adapted the Titan for service as an auxiliary power unit
. Deliveries of this auxiliary power unit started in 1962. The Navy also had Solar adapt the Titan into a free-turbine version designated by the Navy as the T66, but this unit was never put into use. Solar Aircraft Company designed other versions of the basic Mars design, including the 350 hp Spartan, and the 13.5 hp Gemini.
In the late 1950s, the Navy once again turned to Solar, this time for a larger 750 kW unit that would be used as an engine in a high-speed boat. The result was the axial-flow "Saturn" engine, which entered production in 1960. Solar started marketing the Saturn to industrial users needing a 1000 hp unit for any role, and it went on to become the world's most widely used industrial gas turbine with some 4800 units in 80 countries. It remains in production today in two uprated and enhanced configurations. In order to make the system more attractive, Solar also started the design of various "front ends" that could be purchased as a complete unit with the Saturn. These included gas compressor sets, pump-drive packages and generator sets. These units, especially the gas compressors, are widely used in the natural gas
industry as pumping units on pipelines.
In 1963 Solar Aircraft Company was re-organized as the Solar Division of International Harvester.
During the next decade the Solar Division introduced a number of new designs, both larger and smaller than the Saturn. The Centaur, which first entered service in 1968, supplied 2700 hp, while the modern versions supply 4700 hp. In 1973, Solar exited the aviation industry to concentrate its resources on industrial gas turbines.
In 1980 the Radial Engine Group was renamed, becoming the Turbormach Division.
In 1977 the Solar Division introduced a larger version of the Saturn, the 10600 hp Mars, re-using the name from the earlier smaller engine. The Mars is currently sold as the 13220 hp Mars 90 and 15000 hp Mars 100.
After the purchase, Caterpillar assigned development and manufacturing of the Caterpillar Model 5600 to Solar Turbines. The 5600 was originally developed by The Boeing Company
as the Boeing 551/553 series
, which Caterpillar had purchased when Boeing decided to exit the gas turbine business in 1966.
, exiting the radial engine business.
Solar Turbines Incorporated has also been involved in a number of projects to improve the fuel economy of industrial turbines of all sorts. In 1992 Solar Turbines introduced the SoLoNOx system. The SoLoNOx system uses lean-burn technologies to reduce NOx
emissions. the SoLoNOx system has been retrofitted to over 2,000 turbines and all of Solar Turbine's more recent designs can be equipped with SoLoNOx as a feature. In 1997 Solar Turbines introduced a ceramic hot-section design for the Centaur 50 and introduced a recuperator
for the Mercury 50, in experiments conducted with the US Department of Energy.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
, designs and manufactures industrial gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
s for on- and off-shore electrical power generation, for marine propulsion and for producing, processing and transporting natural gas and oil. Solar Turbines is one of the world's leading producers of industrial gas turbines up to 30000 hp. There are more than 13,900 Solar Turbines gas turbine systems installed in 98 countries worldwide that have collectively logged more than 1.7 billion hours of use.
Founded in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1927 as Prudden-San Diego Airplane Company, the company initially designed, manufactured and sold airplanes.
After the departure of its founder, George H. Prudden
George H. Prudden
George Henry Prudden, Jr. was an American aircraft engineer. He was instrumental in designing the first all metal aircraft in America.- Early life :He was born on February 18, 1893....
, the company changed its name to Solar Aircraft Company in 1929.
The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of 1929 forced Solar Aircraft Company to re-focus its efforts into manufacturing aircraft components for other manufacturers. The company grew considerably during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was forced to diversify into non-aircraft products due to the steep drop in business after the war.
Solar Aircraft Company's expertise in hard-to-manufacture parts able to withstand high-temperatures led to contracts to produce jet engine components. Solar Aircraft began to design and manufacture completed turbine engines for the United States military for applications such as auxiliary power unit
Auxiliary power unit
An auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft, as well as some large land vehicles.-Function:...
s. Solar Aircraft continued to expand its product line and grow its business until it was purchased by International Harvester Company
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
in early 1960, becoming the Solar Division of International Harvester in 1963.
In 1973 the Solar Division of International Harvester exited the aerospace industry to focus solely on industrial turbines. In 1975 the development and manufacture of the Solar Division's radial engines was moved into a newly formed Radial Engines Group, renamed the Turbomach Division in 1980.
Solar Turbines Incorporated became a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Tractor Co.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
after Caterpillar purchased the assets of the Solar Division and the Turbomach division from International Harvester on May 31, 1981. In 1985, Caterpillar sold the Turbomach Division to Sundstrand Corporation
Sundstrand Corporation
Sundstrand Corporation was founded in 1926 as a merger of the Rockford Tool Company and Rockford Milling Machine Company in Rockford, Illinois. It was known as Sundstrand Machine Tool Company until 1959 when shareholders voted to change the name to Sundstrand Corporation.Sundstrand is known for...
.
Prudden-San Diego Airplane Company founded 1927
Solar Turbines traces its roots to the Prudden-San Diego Airplane Company, a partnership founded in 1927 between George Prudden and seven San Diego area businessmen. Due to differences in management philosophy between Prudden and his investors, Prudden left the company in November 1928.First product - a trimotor airplane
In March 1929 Prudden-San Diego Airplane Company changed its name to Solar Aircraft Company, a reference to San Diego's sunny climate. Solar Aircraft Company's main product was an all-metal passenger aircraft powered by three Siemens & HalskeSiemens & Halske
Siemens & Halske AG was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens AG.It was founded on 12 October 1847 as Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske by Ernst Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske...
radial engines. Due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in 1929, the company was unable to market the aircraft and made only three airplanes.
From airplanes to airplane components
The sales failure of the tri-motor airplane due to the Great Depression led Solar Aircraft Company into making parts for other manufacturers, especially hard-to-manufacture parts able to withstand high-temperatures, such as stainless steelStainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
exhaust manifolds. By 1939 Solar Aircraft Company had a work force of 229. Military orders during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
led to rapid expansion and by the end of the war the company had a workforce of 5,000, largely part of a massive effort to built more than 300,000 exhaust manifolds for U.S. airplanes. Business dropped considerably after World War II and the management developed a plan to diversify into producing other stainless steel products including caskets, frying pans, bulk milk containers and even redwood furniture.
Developing expertise in gas turbines
Solar Aircraft Company's expertise in high-temperature metallurgy led to work producing components for some of the first US jet engineJet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
s, including the General Electric I-40
General Electric J31
|-See also:...
and a contract from the US Navy to build an afterburner
AfterBurner
The AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs.Originally, portablemonopoly.net was a website created to petition Nintendo to put some kind of light in their Game Boy Advance system...
for the Westinghouse J34
Westinghouse J34
-See also:-External links:* http://www.arkairmuseum.org/engines/engine-westinghouse.php* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/systems/j34.htm...
. Solar Aircraft Company also won contracts for the Allison J33, Allison J35
Allison J35
|-See also:-External links:*...
, Avro Canada Orenda
Avro Canada Orenda
The Avro Canada TR.5 Orenda was the first production jet engine from Avro Canada's Gas Turbine Division. Similar to other early jet engines in design, like the Rolls-Royce Avon or General Electric J47, the Orenda nevertheless outperformed its rivals in most ways, and the Orenda-powered Canadair...
, and Bristol Olympus.
Solar Aircraft Company's work in the jet engine field convinced the company's president, Edmund Price, that the turbine would be the main prime mover in the future. Solar Aircraft Company assembled a team under the direction of Paul Pitt in 1946 and started developing a small 80 hp axial-flow turbine as an auxiliary power unit
Auxiliary power unit
An auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft, as well as some large land vehicles.-Function:...
for the US Army Air Force's Convair B-36
Convair B-36
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built , although there have...
strategic bomber
Strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a heavy bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are...
. The Army eventually canceled this contract, but Solar Aircraft Company soon won a contract from the US Navy in 1947 for a 250 kW system to provide emergency power on ships. First running in 1949, the T-400 would go on to provide power on minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
s and landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
.
In 1947 Leon Wosika and Eric Balje set up a second design line and developed a centrifugal-flow system that was much more compact than Solar's previous designs. Originally known as the MPM-45, the unit was delivered as the 45 hp "Mars". The Navy purchased the Mars to power portable fire fighting pumps on ships and gave it the designation T45. In 1956 the Navy turned to Solar to provide a slightly larger design to power a small helicopter, the Gyrodyne XRON-1
Gyrodyne Company of America
The Gyrodyne Company of America was founded in 1946 by Peter J. Papadakos , using the assets he bought from the bankrupt Bendix Helicopter Company that was developing a one-man synchronized co-axial rotor helicopter....
. Solar Aircraft Company responded by developing a slightly larger version of the Mars, the 55 hp "Titan", which the Navy designated the T62. When the Navy abandoned development of Gyrodyne's XRON helicopter, Solar Aircraft Company adapted the Titan for service as an auxiliary power unit
Auxiliary power unit
An auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft, as well as some large land vehicles.-Function:...
. Deliveries of this auxiliary power unit started in 1962. The Navy also had Solar adapt the Titan into a free-turbine version designated by the Navy as the T66, but this unit was never put into use. Solar Aircraft Company designed other versions of the basic Mars design, including the 350 hp Spartan, and the 13.5 hp Gemini.
In the late 1950s, the Navy once again turned to Solar, this time for a larger 750 kW unit that would be used as an engine in a high-speed boat. The result was the axial-flow "Saturn" engine, which entered production in 1960. Solar started marketing the Saturn to industrial users needing a 1000 hp unit for any role, and it went on to become the world's most widely used industrial gas turbine with some 4800 units in 80 countries. It remains in production today in two uprated and enhanced configurations. In order to make the system more attractive, Solar also started the design of various "front ends" that could be purchased as a complete unit with the Saturn. These included gas compressor sets, pump-drive packages and generator sets. These units, especially the gas compressors, are widely used in the natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
industry as pumping units on pipelines.
Solar Division of International Harvester
Just prior to the release of the Saturn, International Harvester purchased Solar Aircraft Company in early 1960.In 1963 Solar Aircraft Company was re-organized as the Solar Division of International Harvester.
During the next decade the Solar Division introduced a number of new designs, both larger and smaller than the Saturn. The Centaur, which first entered service in 1968, supplied 2700 hp, while the modern versions supply 4700 hp. In 1973, Solar exited the aviation industry to concentrate its resources on industrial gas turbines.
Products separated into two divisions
In the spring of 1975, International Harvester placed Solar Division's radial engine designs into the newly formed Radial Engine Group.In 1980 the Radial Engine Group was renamed, becoming the Turbormach Division.
In 1977 the Solar Division introduced a larger version of the Saturn, the 10600 hp Mars, re-using the name from the earlier smaller engine. The Mars is currently sold as the 13220 hp Mars 90 and 15000 hp Mars 100.
Wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Tractor Co. purchased the assets of the Solar Division and the Turbomach Division from International Harvester on May 31, 1981. The newly acquired assets were organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Tractor Co. named Solar Turbines Incorporated.After the purchase, Caterpillar assigned development and manufacturing of the Caterpillar Model 5600 to Solar Turbines. The 5600 was originally developed by The Boeing Company
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
as the Boeing 551/553 series
Boeing T50
-External links:* * article at bottom of page on earlier Model 500...
, which Caterpillar had purchased when Boeing decided to exit the gas turbine business in 1966.
Sale of Turbomach Division to Sundstrand
In 1985, Caterpillar sold the Turbomach Division to Sundstrand CorporationSundstrand Corporation
Sundstrand Corporation was founded in 1926 as a merger of the Rockford Tool Company and Rockford Milling Machine Company in Rockford, Illinois. It was known as Sundstrand Machine Tool Company until 1959 when shareholders voted to change the name to Sundstrand Corporation.Sundstrand is known for...
, exiting the radial engine business.
New products in the 80s and 90s
Solar Turbines Incorporated continued to introduce new versions of their axial-flow industrial engines throughout the 1980s and 90s, often re-using older names instead of introducing new names. In 1997 Solar Turbines Incorporated announced the Titan 130, a 20500 hp design much larger than the original Titan. The latest model, the Titan 250, delivers 30000 hp.Solar Turbines Incorporated has also been involved in a number of projects to improve the fuel economy of industrial turbines of all sorts. In 1992 Solar Turbines introduced the SoLoNOx system. The SoLoNOx system uses lean-burn technologies to reduce NOx
NOx
NOx is a generic term for the mono-nitrogen oxides NO and NO2 . They are produced from the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen gases in the air during combustion, especially at high temperatures...
emissions. the SoLoNOx system has been retrofitted to over 2,000 turbines and all of Solar Turbine's more recent designs can be equipped with SoLoNOx as a feature. In 1997 Solar Turbines introduced a ceramic hot-section design for the Centaur 50 and introduced a recuperator
Recuperator
A recuperator is a special purpose counter-flow energy recovery heat exchanger positioned within the supply and exhaust air streams of an air handling system, or in the exhaust gases of an industrial process, in order to recover the waste heat...
for the Mercury 50, in experiments conducted with the US Department of Energy.
Current product line
Solar Turbine Incorporated's product line currently consists of the Saturn, Centaur, Mercury, Taurus, Mars and Titan turbines, and a variety of attachments that are sold with them. To date, Solar has sold more than 13,400 gas turbine systems, with a combined operating history of 1.4 billion hours of use, equivalent to over 100,000 years.Products
- Saturn 20
- Centaur 40
- Centaur 50
- Taurus 60
- Taurus 65
- Taurus 70
- Mars 90
- Mars 100
- Titan 130
- Titan 250