Part of the Westinghouse Power Generation group, the Westinghouse Combustion Turbine Systems Division (CTSD) was originally located, along with the Steam Turbine Systems Division (STSD), in a major industrial facility in Tinicum Township (Delaware County, Pennsylvania), near the Philadelphia International Airport.
According to CTSD marketing brochures from the early 1980s, Westinghouse innovations included "the first combustion turbine used commercially in the United States, first use of cooled blades and vanes in an industrial unit, and the world's largest and most efficient combined cycle plant" (Ref 1: link to scanned brochure is included). Fueled by natural gas, that first commercial unit was installed in 1949 at the Mississippi River Fuel Corporation and became "the first in the world to operate for more than 100,000 hours." By 1984, more than 1200 Westinghouse-designed gas turbines had been put into operation in 57 countries (Ref 2: link to scanned brochure is included).
Often referred to as a gas turbine, a modern combustion turbine operates on a variety of gaseous and liquid fuels ranging from light distillates to residual oil. In fact, most are installed with multi-fuel capability to take advantage of changes in cost and availability of various fuels.
Read more about Westinghouse Combustion Turbine Systems Division: Early History, Changing Market, New Facility, New Technologies, Combined Cycle Cogeneration, End of An Era, Westinghouse Divestiture
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