General Electric LM2500
The
General Electric LM2500 industrial and marine
turboshaft gas turbine is a derivative of
GE Aircraft Engines'
CF6-6 aircraft engine. The LM2500 is offered in addition to the
LM6000.
Current versions of the LM2500 deliver 33,600
shaft horsepower (25.1
MW) with a thermal efficiency of 37 percent at
ISO conditions. It has been used in various applications such as in
U.S. Navy warships (as well as those belonging to other
navies),
hydrofoils,
hovercraft and fast
ferries. As of 2004, more than one thousand LM2500 gas turbines have been in service for more than 26 international navies.
Many of the military LM2500 installations place the engine inside a metal container of the same dimensions as a standard 40 foot
intermodal shipping container - 8 feet wide, 8.5 feet tall, and 40 feet long. The containerized LM2500s may be designed for easy removal from their ships if the air intake ducting is shaped appropriately.
The LM2500+ is an evolution of the LM2500, delivering up to 40,200 shp or 28.6 MW of electric energy when combined with a
generator. Two of such turbo-generators have been installed in the superstructure near the
funnel of
Queen Mary 2, the world's largest transatlantic cruise liner, for additional electric energy when the ship's four diesel-generators are maxed out or fail.
The LM2500 is license-built in Japan by
Ishikawajima-Harima, and in Italy by
Avio.
The LM2500/LM2500+ can often be found as turbine part of
CODAG or
CODOG propulsion systems or in pairs as powerplants for
COGAG systems.
The latest development in the LM2500 family is LM2500+ G4, which offers 6% more power over the LM2500+.
The LM2500 was first used in US Navy warships in the
Spruance class of destroyers and the related
Kidd class, which were constructed from 1970. In this configuration it was rated to 21,500 SHP. This configuration was subsequently used into the 1980s in the
Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates, and
Ticonderoga class cruisers.
The LM2500 was uprated to 26,500 SHP for the
Arleigh Burke class destroyers, which were initiated in the 1980s and started to see service in the early 1990s, and the T-AOE-6 class of fast combat tanker.
The current generation was uprated in the late 1990s to over 30,000 SHP.hhh
*
LM6000*
Official site (GEAE).
*
FAS information page on US Navy LM2500 usage
