This week we delivered the last refurbished WR21 Recuperater Cores to complete one of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyers fleet modification program. HMS Diamond (D34) will receive these overhauled Recuperator Cores after spending a busy summer at sea from the Atlantic to the Baltic.
A jewel in the naval crown, HMS Diamond is the third of the highly capable Type 45 air defence destroyers and one of the most advanced warships in the world.
The two WR21 gas turbines which power HMS Diamond draws heavily on the technology of the successful Rolls-Royce RB211 and Trent families of gas turbines.
The WR21 is the first aeroderivative gas turbine to incorporate gas compressor intercooler and exhaust heat recovery system technologies that deliver low specific fuel consumption across the engine’s operating range. It offers a reduction in fuel burn of 30% across the typical ship operating profile.
The recuperator preheats the combustion air by recovering waste heat from the exhaust, improving cycle efficiency and reducing fuel consumption.