Solar Turbines Incorporated

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Taurus 70 Generator Set
COMPANY HISTORY (cont’d)
This experience led to the development of turbine engines and gas compressors for industrial
applications, which became the mainstay of the power systems presently designed, manufactured,
packaged, modularized and serviced for our customers worldwide. In less than two decades, Solar
Turbines Incorporated became the world's leading manufacturer of industrial gas turbines and power
packages.
Solar's first radial gas turbine (the original Mars gas turbine), introduced in 1948, was a 60-hp engine
used as an auxiliary power unit for aircraft and to power portable fire pumps primarily for the United
States Navy. Since then, Solar has built more than 12,800 units, including the Spartan gas turbine used
in a 225-kW generator set, the original Titan engine used for many different applications, including a start
engine for the Centaur 40 gas turbine, and the Gemini engine originally developed as a portable 10-kW
generator set for the U.S. Army.
The evolution in Solar's product line led to the introduction of axial-flow gas turbines in 1948.
1948 The Jupiter, Solar's first axial-flow turbine.
1957 The Saturn, Solar's first industrial turbine engine. Originally designed for
naval shipboard power generation and propulsion applications, the Saturn
turbine engine was applied as an industrial prime mover for electrical power
generation, as well as in gas compression, pumping, and other mechanical-
drive applications.
1969 The Centaur 40 industrial gas turbine features rugged construction,
conservative firing temperatures and long-life sleeve bearings.
1976 The Mars turbine, a development from Centaur turbine experience, is a
rugged, heavy-duty engine designed for continuous-duty industrial service
under the most severe conditions, is the most efficient industrial gas turbine
in its power class.
1985 The Centaur 50 turbine was the next step in a planned series of uprates and
has achieved its current rating by capitalizing on the Centaur 40 experience
and the conservative use of technology and hardware developed with the Mars
turbine.
1989 The Taurus 60 gas turbine evolved from the Centaur gas turbine. Taurus
60 achieves an approximate 20% power advantage over the Centaur 50
gas turbine by using an additional "zero" stage in the engine compressor,
while operating at the same turbine inlet temperature as the Centaur 50 gas
turbine.
A distinct advantage of the Centaur 40, Centaur 50 and Taurus 60 gas turbine products is the
interchangeability of engines on a common "universal" turbomachinery package. The three
engines are all packaged on essentially the same skid and the skid-mounted components are
sized to accommodate all three engines. This feature facilitates the ability to replace the engine
with a higher power unit should additional power be required in the future, assuming the driven
equipment can be replaced or modified to use the additional power.
May 3, 2011
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