Tomorrow Is Today, Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car (1963)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] March 25th 1954 an important date in the automobile industry Chrysler Corporation announced the development and successful road testing of the first American built gas turbine engine in a production line automobile this engine was a milestone in automotive power engineering the turning point was the development of a rotary heat exchanger which converted exhaust heat into a strong power boost with fuel economy these tests were run in a 1954 production model Plymouth they were the beginning of thousands of miles of road testing and resulted in a major breakthrough in turbine power a year later in 1955 continuing the search for improved performance the same basic engine was traffic tested on the streets of Detroit by 1956 engineers had set the stage for a major test the first turbine powered transcontinental run from New York to Los Angeles a turbine powered sedan a production model in every other respect made the historic 3000 20 mile trip subject to constant evaluation of the engines durability acceleration endurance and operation under various climatic conditions the engine performed beautifully and four days later the test car rolled into Los Angeles marking another chrysler first in the automotive record books guided by the performance data and experience obtained on the coast-to-coast run chrysler engineering spent the following two years designing and developing a new more advanced turbine engine in december 1958 after thorough laboratory testing this second generation turbine engine made a 576 mile run from Detroit to New York in a test to verify the effects of the newly developed variable nozzle principle on economy and control on this trip the 1958 version showed that Berner efficiency was improved almost to the point of ideal combustion removing one of the most formidable remaining hurdles to successful automotive applications in the following months another obstacle was eliminated when through Chrysler metallurgical research new materials were developed which contained plentiful and relatively inexpensive elements that could be made by conventional methods and still have excellent resistance to heat and oxidation even at extreme temperatures [Music] by December 1961 after more months of patient development and improved third-generation turbine power plant the CR 2a was installed in a 1962 production line model which made another four-day cross-country trip it encountered sub-zero weather with snowstorms and freezing rain scorching desert heat and at times bucked up to 40 mile an hour headwind the turbine lived up to and exceeded all expectations its fuel economy consistently comparable without a piston cars which made the same trip over a decade of research and testing constantly improving and evolved the most advanced most practical gas turbine engine ever specifically designed for automobile the culmination of this sustained and dedicated effort was the announcement to the news media in February 1962 by Robert Anderson vice president product planning Chrysler Corporation that the corporation plan to build 50 turbine powered passenger cars for release to selected users the objective of this unusual program was to test consumer and market reaction to turbine power and obtain service data and Driver experience with turbine cars under a wide variety of geographical conditions only in this manner could concrete evidence concerning public acceptance of this revolutionary type of power plant be obtained a turbine engine introduced a new concept in surface transportation but this revolutionary engine required a body design that would complement it inline as well as function Elwood Engel vice president and director of styling for Chrysler Corporation had the responsibility for creating an exciting fresh look in body design one that would be appropriate yet not extreme for the new limited production turbine engine styling began with a study of the product planning proposal the specifications and background information on the turbine car size and dimensions of the engine itself proposed wheelbase and overall length of the vehicle minimum head room seating requirements engineering innovations and features with these basic facts in mind the stylist began to design a body that would be contemporary individual and with enough personality to be recognized as a turbine first he visualized the basic components [Music] now the clean flowing body design is ready to be mated with the engine and the dream became a reality the entire turbine research program at Chrysler Corporation was initiated and has been under the direction of George J Hubner junior executive engineer research mr. Hubner was honored in March 1962 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers who gave him their highest award for his leadership in the development of the first automotive gas turbine suitable for mass-produced passenger automobiles [Music] but now that this engineering achievement is here perhaps it would be well to consider just what is a turbine what is a turbine actually a turbine is a highly advanced use of one of man's oldest means for creating power to do work the windmill the windmill as most of us know it consists of a number of curved blades called vanes mounted on an axle a breeze blowing against these vanes causes the windmill to turn and to supply power to do many kinds of jobs as the wind increases the windmill spins faster provides more power the turbine acting as a controlled windmill makes today's jet airplanes possible but its use in a passenger automobile is substantially different first we'll lift the hood and the gas turbine car for a look at the engine now looking down on the engine we can through the use of animation get a clearer picture of how the turbine engine works to perform efficiently the functions of an automotive power plant Chrysler corporation's gas turbine was designed with these main units air compressor combustion chamber first turbine wheel for compressor drive second turbine wheel for driving the car regenerators or heat exchangers the air compressor sucks in outside air and compresses or squeezes it to raise its pressure compressing the air raises its temperature to more than 425 degrees Fahrenheit this compressed hot air flows through the regenerator where it is further heated to more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit then into the combustion chamber into which the fuel is prayed the fuel ignited by a single spark plug is burned and further raises the air temperature to 1700 degrees then this now red-hot tornado of air or gas forces its way past the blades of the first turbine whose job it is to turn the air compressor regenerators oil pump fuel control and other necessary accessories to make your car function the hot gas then turns the second turbine which is connected to the rear wheels to drive your car but that isn't the whole story of the turbine engines operation to other major elements make the gas turbine engine practical for use in a passenger car after leaving the combustion chamber and passing through the two turbine wheels there is a dip in the temperature of the gases as they flow to the exhaust but the gases retain large amounts of heat which would be wasted if merely allowed to escape unhindered through the exhaust pipe to blister the paint of cars following so a device for salvaging this heat is placed in the path of the out rushing gases this is the famous Chrysler originated rotary regenerator which is basically a heat exchanger to more easily understand the role of the regenerator let us take a closer look to do the job the regenerators turn slowly transferring heat energy from the exhaust gases through special heat transfer surfaces to the high-pressure cooler air being pushed by the compressor on its way to the burner this eases the burners job of raising the gases temperature on their way to the turbines this preheated air requires less fuel and permits the turbine to develop fuel economy comparable to a piston engine in the Chrysler Turbine the air itself is turned by special curved blades called nozzle vanes these vanes changed their position to direct the stream of hot gas against the turbine blades at different angles economy for cruising or greater power for acceleration or even a braking effect for slowing and stopping in spite of the increased efficiency of the engine the gas turbine is simplicity itself it has only about one-fifth as many moving parts as the common piston engine because it is self cooled the turbine needs no radiator nor antifreeze there are no timed events in the turbine engine no need for a distributor nor a carburetor there are no taffet's no valves finally no Pistons rushing up and down in their individual cylinders in the turbine engine you have a smoothly efficient operating system which burns almost any available fuel unleaded gasoline kerosene diesel fuel jet fuel you have no low temperature starting difficulties no engine warm up period necessary [Music] [Music] the place is the five mile test normal at the Chrysler proving grounds the event performance checks of the production model gas turbine car this was the culmination of tens of thousands of miles in road experience and improved design resulting in a gas turbine engine specifically adapted to the exacting requirements of today's motorists these were the trials before this new car was released for limited evaluation by selected users [Music] [Applause] 75 miles an hour and running steady in a smooth vibration this trouble-free ride passing rugged endurance and power requirements with ease [Music] but the turbine car is not a special car designed for limited types of performance this is a car for people average people with average as well as extreme driving requirements this is a thoroughly tested thoroughly practical car to meet modern driving need [Music] here is a car with power engineered for safe and ready acceleration when needed on the highway the now perfected heat exchanger ensures excellent efficiency from the engine and a cool clean exhaust even at sustained high speed driving now under the twisting tortuous side roads at the proving ground roads scientifically plan to tax the strength maneuverability and control of any car the turbine powered automobile past these grueling tests here is a car design for easier maintenance free of periodic oil changes and seasonal tuna [Music] here is full power potential for instant acceleration and outstanding climbing ability through the action of the variable nozzles the driver is assured the same control he can get in the best conventional passenger car even on the steepest grade [Music] here indeed is an engineering breakthrough worthy of the painstaking experimentation constant testing designing and redesigning that went into it the light compact reliable easy to maintain economical to operate Chrysler automotive gas turbine engine [Music] on October 29 1963 Chrysler Corporation president linae Townsend made the following announcement to the press in Chicago Illinois we have now reached the time when the first motorists selected to use and test the turbine car under normal conditions is about to receive his car he and his family will be participating in a kind of market evaluation which as far as we've been able to determine is entirely new to the automobile industry it is another Chrysler first no automobile company has ever undertaken to place a new and revolutionary type of vehicle in the hands of motorists for the purpose of studying consumer reaction over a wide range of driving conditions as a matter of fact no company has had an opportunity to conduct a test of this kind in well over half a century since this is the first completely new kind of automotive powerplant to be developed to this stage in this period of time we are now ready to introduce the members of the Chicago family who will be the first to put a turbine powered car into family use it is my pleasure at this time to introduce mr. and mrs. law this event unique in the history of automobile business was the result of Chrysler Corporation receiving over 25,000 unsolicited letters from enthusiastic men and women wanting to be considered as users of the experimental turbine cars the selection of users from these letters is made by the public accounting firm of Touche Ross Bailey and smart [Music] Richard II Blaha the first user is a systems engineer with the International Business Machines Corporation and lives with his wife and their three children in a suburb of Chicago presently Chrysler Corporation is placing 50 turbine cars in the hands of approximately 200 persons on a rotating system over a two-year period to use and evaluate this program will produce some of the answers needed before a decision is reached regarding the direction Chrysler will take in the turbine program this unique manner of testing will be exactly that an experimental market research project which has no preordained outcome based on the results Chrysler may accelerate the entire turbine program and then again new and unexpected problems can arise which would send it back to the laboratories for further research [Music] however the tremendous potential of the turbine to satisfy powerplant needs for propelling automobiles more smoothly and dependably than ever before opens the possibility of an exciting new chapter of motoring and gives the automobile a running start in the jet age and tomorrow is today [Music]

Channel: Detroit Historical Society

Views: 34,927

Keywords: Detroit, Historical, Society

Id: r_YRNQoQFjM

Length: 20min 7sec (1207 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 16 2018