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The Rolls-Royce Olympus (originally the Bristol B.E.10 Olympus) was the world's second two- spool axial-flow
turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
aircraft engine design, first run in May 1950 and preceded only by the Pratt & Whitney J57, first-run in January 1950. It is best known as the powerplant of the
Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) was a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe ...
and later models in the
Concorde Concorde () is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and the United Kingdom signed a treaty establishin ...
SST. The design dates to a November 1946 proposal by Bristol Aeroplane Company for a jet-powered bomber, powered by four new engines which would be supplied by Bristol Aero Engines. Although their bomber design was ultimately cancelled in favour of the other V bombers, the engine design's use of twin-spool layout led to continued interest from the
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...
and continued development funding. The engine first ran in 1950 and quickly outperformed its design goals. Initially used in the Vulcan, later versions added
reheat An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military aircraft, military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, ta ...
for use in the supersonic BAC TSR-2. Bristol Aero Engines merged with Armstrong Siddeley Motors in 1959 to form Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited (BSEL), which in turn was taken over by
Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
in 1966. Through this period the engine was further developed as the
Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 The Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 was an France–United Kingdom relations, Anglo-French turbojet with reheat, which powered the Supersonic transport, supersonic airliner Concorde. It was initially a joint project between Bristol Siddeley, Br ...
for Concorde. Versions of the engine were licensed to
Curtiss-Wright The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is an American manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation (business), consoli ...
in the US as the TJ-32 or J67 (military designation) and the TJ-38 'Zephyr', although none saw use. The Olympus was also developed with success as marine and industrial
gas turbine A gas turbine or gas turbine engine is a type of Internal combustion engine#Continuous combustion, continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas gene ...
s, which were highly successful. As of 2018, the Olympus remains in service as both a marine and industrial gas turbine.


Background


Origins

At the end of World War II, the Bristol Engine Company's major effort was the development of the
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
and
Centaurus Centaurus () is a bright constellation in the southern sky. One of the 88 modern constellations by area, largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one ...
radial
piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder (engine), cylinder a ...
engines. By the end of 1946, the company had only 10 hours of
turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
experience with a small experimental engine called the Phoebus which was the gas generator or core of the
Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus ( ; ) is an early prophetic sea god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" (''hálios gérôn''). Some who ascribe a specific domain to Prote ...
turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
then in development. In early 1947, the parent Bristol Aeroplane Company submitted a proposal for a medium-range bomber to the same
specification A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of technical standard. There are different types of technical or engineering specificati ...
B.35/46 which led to the
Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) was a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe ...
and
Handley Page Victor The Handley Page Victor was a British jet-powered strategic bomber developed and produced by Handley Page during the Cold War. It was the third and final ''V bomber'' to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the other two being the Vickers ...
. The Bristol design was the Type 172 and was to be powered by four or six Bristol engines of thrust to the Ministry engine specification TE.1/46. The thrust required of the new engine, then designated B.E.10 (later Olympus), would initially be with growth potential to . The pressure ratio would be an unheard of 9:1. To achieve this, the initial design used a low-pressure (LP)
axial compressor An axial compressor is a gas compressor that can continuously pressurize gases. It is a rotating, airfoil-based compressor in which the gas or working fluid principally flows parallel to the axis of rotation, or axially. This differs from other ...
and a high-pressure (HP) centrifugal compressor, each being driven by its own single-stage
turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...
. This two-spool design eliminated the need for features such as variable inlet guide vanes (Avon, J79), inlet ramps (J65), variable stators (J79) or compressor bleed (Avon) which were required on single spool compressors with pressure ratios above about 6:1. Without these features an engine could not be started nor run at low speeds without destructive blade vibrations. Nor could they accelerate to high speeds with fast acceleration times (" spool up") without surge. The design was progressively modified and the centrifugal HP compressor was replaced by an axial HP compressor. This reduced the diameter of the new engine to the design specification of . The Bristol Type 172 was cancelled though development continued for the Avro Vulcan and other projects.


Initial development

The first engine, its development designation being BOl.1 (Bristol Olympus 1), had six LP compressor stages and eight HP stages, each driven by a single-stage turbine. The combustion system was novel in that ten connected flame tubes were housed within a cannular system: a hybrid of separate flame cans and a true annular system. Separate combustion cans would have exceeded the diameter beyond the design limit, and a true annular system was considered too advanced.Baxter 1990, p. 18 In 1950, Dr (later Sir) Stanley Hooker was appointed as Chief Engineer of Bristol Aero Engines. The BOl.1 first ran on 16 May 1950 and was designed to produce thrust and to be free from destructive rotating stall on start up to idle speed and to be free from surging on fast accelerations to maximum thrust. The engine started without a problem and Hooker, supervising the first test run and displaying the confidence he had in the design, slammed the throttle to give a surge-free acceleration to maximum power. The thrustmeter showed . The next development was the BOl.1/2 which produced thrust in December 1950. Examples of the similar BOl.1/2A were constructed for US manufacturer Curtiss-Wright which had bought a licence for developing the engine as the TJ-32 or J67 for the projected F-102. The somewhat revised BOl.1/2B, ran in December 1951 producing thrust. The engine was by now ready for air testing and the first flight engines, designated Olympus Mk 99, were fitted into a
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
'' WD952'' which first flew with these engines derated to thrust in August 1952. In May 1953, this aircraft reached a world record altitude of . Fitted with more powerful Mk 102 engines, the Canberra increased the record to in August 1955. The first production Olympus, the Mk 101, entered service in late 1952 at a rated thrust of 11,000 lb, a weight of 3,650 lb, and with a TBO of 250 hours.


Variants

The Olympus was developed extensively throughout its production run, and the many variants can be described as belonging to four main groups. Initial non-reheat variants were designed and produced by Bristol Aero Engines and Bristol Siddeley and powered the subsonic
Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) was a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe ...
. These engines were further developed by
Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce Limited was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his Crane ( ...
. The first reheat variant, the Bristol Siddeley Olympus Mk 320, powered the cancelled BAC TSR-2 supersonic strike aircraft. For
Concorde Concorde () is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and the United Kingdom signed a treaty establishin ...
, this was developed during the 1960s into the
Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 The Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 was an France–United Kingdom relations, Anglo-French turbojet with reheat, which powered the Supersonic transport, supersonic airliner Concorde. It was initially a joint project between Bristol Siddeley, Br ...
, being further developed through several subsequent versions to eventually provide reliable airline service. The Olympus 593 is a prime example of "propulsion and airframe integration". To optimise the performance of the engine when used at speeds from takeoff up to Mach 2 on Concorde, a variable intake and a variable throat nozzle with thrust reversing system were developed. Looking ahead to future supersonic transports, due to noise limits for supersonic transport category airplanes, studies were conducted on ejector suppressors, leading to the conclusion that "a new, low bypass ratio version of the 593 could be suitable for future generations of supersonic transport aircraft". The American
Curtiss-Wright The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is an American manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation (business), consoli ...
company tested a license-developed version known as the J67 and a
turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
designated TJ-38 Zephyr. Neither design was produced. Further derivatives of the Olympus were produced for ship propulsion and land-based power generation.


Applications

*
Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) was a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe ...
* BAC TSR-2 *
Concorde Concorde () is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and the United Kingdom signed a treaty establishin ...


Proposed aircraft applications

Over the years, the Olympus was proposed for numerous other applications including: * C104 which led to the C105
Avro Arrow The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a Delta wing, delta-winged interceptor aircraft designed and built by Avro Canada. The CF-105 held the promise of Mach number, Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding and was intended to serve as the Royal ...
: BOl.3" * Avro 718: BOl.3 Avro Type Lis

Avro Heritage
The Type 718 was a military transport aircraft with up to 110 seats. * Avro 739 to OR339 (the requirement that culminated in TSR2): BOl.21R * Avro 740: 3 x Mk 551 * Avro 750: 2 x Mk 551 * Avro Vulcan Phase 6 (B3): BOl.23, a development of the Mk 301.Baxter 1990, p. 172 Different engine configurations, BOl.21, BOl.21/2 and BOl.23, with either reheat or an aft fan, were proposed for this aircraft to provide the required increase in take-off thrust.Fildes 2012, p. 407 * Bristol T172: B.E.10 * Bristol T177 * Bristol T180 * Bristol T198: Mk 591. Early supersonic airliner design (132 seats). The engine was a civilianised BOl.22R. * Bristol T201: Mk 551 * Bristol T202 * Bristol T204 to OR339: BOl.22SR (simplified reheat) * Bristol T205: Mark 551 * Bristol T213 * Bristol T223: Mk 593. Later supersonic airliner design (100 seats). Engine as Mk 591 with zero stage LP compressor and cooled HP turbine. *
de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...
design to OR339: BOl.14R, BOl.15R. Developed from BOl.6R. * Handley Page HP98: Pathfinder variant of Victor. * Handley Page Victor B1: Mk 104 * Handley Page Victor Phase 3 * Handley Page HP107 * Handley Page Pacific * Hawker P.1121: BOl.21R * Hawker P.1129 to OR339: BOl.15R * Martin/General Dynamics RB-57F Canberra: Mk 701 developed from Mk 301. * Gloster P492/3: Mk 591 * Republic XF-103Baugher, Joe
"Republic XF-103."
''Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of American Military Aircraft'', 4 December 1999. Retrieved: 16 February 2011.
* Republic F-105 Thunderchief: BOl.21 for possible sale to RAF. * Saab 36 * Saab 37 Viggen
Historien om Vigge

''Protec'' 2005 No 4
* Vickers VC10: Development of Mk 555 with aft fan.


Engines on display

* Imperial War Museum North, Manchester – Mk 101 * Royal Air Force Museum Midlands – Mk 320 * Gatwick Aviation Museum Charlwood Surrey – Two Mk 320 *The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust Collection (Derby - UK) Mk 101 and Mk 593 and a Marine version. * Museum of Science and Industry (Manchester) – Mk 202 (Engine is displayed as a Mk 201 but its ECU plate reveals it as a Mk 202) * South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, Doncaster, England - Mk.104 on loan from the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust.


Specifications (Olympus 101)


See also


References

;Notes ;Citations ;Bibliography * Baxter, Alan. ''Olympus – the first forty years''. Derby, UK: Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, 1990. * Blackman, Tony. ''Vulcan Test Pilot''. London, UK: Grub Street, 2009. * Bullman, Craig. ''The Vulcan B.Mk2 from a Different Angle''. Bishop-Auckland, UK: Pentland Books, 2001. * Fildes, David W. ''The Avro Type 698 Vulcan'' Barnsley, UK: Pen % Sword Aviation, 2012, * Hooker, Stanley. ''Not Much of an Engineer''. Marlsborough, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2002.


External links


Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust

Turbine Support
image of Olympus power station
enginehistory.org
Good image of Mk 301
''Flight'' cutaway
of BOl.1/2A

1961 ''Flight'' article
The Mighty Olympus
YouTube Playlist from AgentJayZ {{Navboxes , title=Articles and topics related to Rolls-Royce Olympus , state=collapsed , titlestyle={{WPMILHIST Infobox style, nav_box_wide_header , list1= {{BristolAeroengines {{RRaeroengines {{Wright aeroengines {{USAF gas turbine engines Olympus Olympus 1950s turbojet engines