> The speed reduction gearbox for a turboprop is a hefty piece of
> machinery. The ones on the C-130 reduce the 13,000 RPM of the engine to
> 1,360 RPM for the props. And then there's the matter of power control. A
> fixed pitch prop is not workable as the throttle response is horribly slow.
> It is far more practical to use a fixed speed variable pitch prop. Throttle
> response is almost instataneous.
That's old-school methodology. The new way of doing everything is to
have the smoke generator (turbine engine or ICE) powering a generator.
The props are driven by electric motors. By going with a hybrid
approach you can use a smaller power source that is just large enough
to maintain average load requirement and use a limited supply of
battery storage to provide the boost for peak load requirement.
There are also large gains to be made in normal winged aviation (not
jet powered) as you can place the engine/generator in a spot that
makes most sense from a CG perspective and then the lighter electric
motors are placed where aerodynamically it is most ideal. The housings
for the electric motors are smaller or even non-existent as they can
be buried within the wings with only the prop-shaft sticking out.
AG Schnozz
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