WR 21

The world's most advanced gas turbine
The intercooled and recuperated WR-21 marine gas turbine

developed by Northrop Grumman/Rolls-Royce has been selected
to power the Royal Navy's Type 45 D class- destroyer.
 WR21 propulsion module

(pdf, 205kb)
It is a 25MW marine engine for the 21st century –

delivering fuel-efficient operation across virtually
the entire power range, lower unburned
hydrocarbon and CO² emissions, and reduced
maintenance requirements thanks to its modular
design philosophy.
The WR-21 is now powering the UK based Electric

Ship Technology shore test facility, (funded by the
UK and France) which is proving the Type 45
propulsion and power distribution systems - de-
risking the integrated electric propulsion concept
before the first ship goes to sea. The WR-21 is a
candidate powerplant for a number of future
platforms.
Drawing heavily on the highly successful Rolls-

Royce RB211 and Trent families of gas turbines,
the WR-21, rewrites the marine propulsion rule
book, giving operators of gas turbine powered
vessels significant performance and efficiency
improvements to reduce operating and through-life
costs.
Rated at 25MW, the WR-21 is the first production

aeroderivative gas turbine to incorporate
compressor intercooling and exhaust heat
recuperation technologies that deliver low specific
fuel consumption across the engines' entire
operating range.
Developed under a US Navy contract, with support

from the UK and France the WR-21 is a truly
international engine designed and built by an
international team that comprises Rolls-Royce and
Northrop Grumman
The WR-21 has a true modular pedigree based on its aero-

engine parentage providing maintenance flexibility with
reduced spares holding, and mean time between removals is
maximised by the units many in-situ repair features.
The gas generator and power turbine consist of 12

interchangeable, pre-balanced modules. Because of their
small size and weight, modules can be removed via simple
routes and new or leased modules fitted in-situ, reducing
maintenance costs and down time.
The engine enclosure is designed for rapid access and

permits sideways removal of the gas generator and power
turbine. All scheduled maintenance can be performed by the
crew and is minimised in line with potential future Navy
needs for unmanned engine rooms. Comprehensive bore
scope facilities allow inspection of all rotating components,
the intercooler and recuperator.
Capable, Affordable, Sustainable

The WR-21 not only offers operators lower installed system
cost but also delivers a 27% reduction in fuel burn when
compared to its simply-cycle counterpart. This translates
into a number of user benefits, including extended ship
range for a given fuel capacity, more unrefuelled time on
station for a given fuel capacity, or reduced fuel storage
requirements for a given range. It also opens up
opportunities for a radical re-appraisal of conventional
propulsion systems design.
In contrast to other marine gas turbines, the WR-21 has low

specific fuel consumption at both low and high power levels.
It gives ship designers the opportunity to take a fresh look
at conventional propulsion systems design and re-evaluate
the need for cruise and boost configurations, currently used
to compensate for the poor fuel burn of simple-cycle gas
turbines.
The Integrated Full Electric Propulsion concept is particularly

compatible with the very flat fuel consumption characteristic
of the WR-21 when packaged as a generator set.
It is also a candidate power plant for cruise ship propulsion,

where fuel efficiency and its small size mean improved
operational flexibility and significant through-life cost
benefits to operators.
The ICR Cycle

The intercooler cools air entering the high pressure
compressor, reducing the amount of energy required to
compress the air.
The recuperator preheats the combustion air by recovering

waste energy from the exhaust, improving cycle efficiency
and reducing fuel consumption. Low power efficiency is
improved still further by the use of power turbine variable
area nozzles.
They maintain constant power turbine entry temperature,
which in turn maintains recuperator gas side entry
conditions, and improved recuperator effectiveness as power
reduces.
The result is improved fuel efficiency over the entire range,

with a dramatic improvement at low power.

WR 21

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The world's most advanced gas turbine

The intercooled and recuperated WR-21 marine gas turbine

 WR21 propulsion module

It is a 25MW marine engine for the 21st century –

The WR-21 is now powering the UK based Electric

Drawing heavily on the highly successful Rolls-

Rated at 25MW, the WR-21 is the first production

Developed under a US Navy contract, with support

The WR-21 has a true modular pedigree based on its aero-

The gas generator and power turbine consist of 12

The engine enclosure is designed for rapid access and

Capable, Affordable, Sustainable

In contrast to other marine gas turbines, the WR-21 has low

The Integrated Full Electric Propulsion concept is particularly

It is also a candidate power plant for cruise ship propulsion,

The ICR Cycle

The recuperator preheats the combustion air by recovering

The result is improved fuel efficiency over the entire range,

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