What sort of power penalties does the Centrisep EAPS create?
This varies considerably from one helicopter to another. On some helicopters Centrisep EAPS bring an improvement to the available power for the helicopter. This is due to the fact that the air flow and pressure distribution at the compressor entry plane is improved compared to basic helicopter engine intakes. On other helicopters, because of installation constraints, the power penalty resulting from the pressure drop and the scavenge system can be fairly high. However, this is still small when compared to the power loss due to early engine erosion. On the latest ‘state-of-the-art’ Centrisep designs, typically, the loss of power – compared to the basic helicopter intake – cannot be detected in hover. This may be more noticeable in forward flight, perhaps resulting in a slight increase in fuel consumption.
