If I was succesful, there should be a schematic from the Chrysler

turbine

car progam of 40 years ago. Turbine exhaust has an excess amount of

thermal

energy, at a high tem.p If you extract heat from this exhaust and

introduce

it
after the compressor, and before the combuster, the amount of fuel

burned

to raise charge temperature  for the turbine is significantly reduced.
The side wheels store some of this heat in a mesh of stainless "soda
straws". The wheel is turning slowly and lines up with the compresser
outlet adding this heat to the flow going to the combuster. Sounds

complex,

and it is, but this is the most compact system for moving this amount of
BTU's around. The straws are also part of the labyrinth sealing between
the low pressure exhaust and the high pressure combustion chamber.
Several makers employed this system - Ford for some marine applications
and GM for their proposed Camero class turbine car. Without regen
turbines of this size are about 1 lb/hp/hr or worse. with this GM
could get 0.5 on point. Part power is still the pits, and the car was
projected
to do about 11 mpg city 18 highway. But it was a "JET "and would have
sold. But the gas guzzler fines would have been really bad. Only auto
production rates could have made this affordable. but what a neat
200hp engine that would have been! Vance

This engine was way too bulky for an aircraft. It consumed all the under

hood

space of a large car. A 400 HP V8 would be half the volume and get much

better

mileage. Regen turbines are widely used in power plants. If they were

practical

in aircraft they would be in aircraft :) I think they are also used in
the M1 Abrams main battle tank.

--
Paul Lamar

This is drifting off subject - but just a few comments - the GM 200hp I saw
would
have fit in a bulky Cruiser cowl - much more compact than the Chrysler.
In large power plants ( and big turbo fans) active blade cooling and high
turbine inlet temperatures have proven more effective - some of GE large
units are competitive, if not better than Diesels, and even less fussy
about fuel, Vance

 
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