Testing of the Ultra-Micro Gas Turbine Devices (1 - 10 kW) for Portable Power Generation at University of Roma 1: First Tests Results

Alfonso Calabria, Roberto Capata, Mario Di Veroli, Gianluca Pepe

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza—University of Roma, Roma, Italy.

DOI: 10.4236/eng.2013.55058                

Abstract

The ever increasing development of portable electronics has led to a higher demand for compact and reliable power sources. Significant resources are being presently dedicated to the study of micro machined gas turbines, because of their remarkable power density. The paper reports the procedures and the results of a series of tests conducted at the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering of University of Roma 1, to obtain the map of an ultra-micro gas turbine device, and the head losses and the combustion efficiency of the corresponding ultra-micro combustion chamber, fed by a mixture of butane and propane. This work is a part of a research aimed at the conception, design and prototyping of an ultra-micro thermo-electrical device for portable power generation. The novelty of the research consists in the fact that the thermal engine is a (ultra-micro) gas turbine set. In a subsequent stage, several different configurations have been assessed to select the most proper geometry and structural characteristics of the most relevant components (radial compressor, radial turbine, combustion chamber, electric motor and generator, bearings, regenerative heat exchanger).

Keywords

Ultra-Micro Components; Gas Turbine; Radial Compressor; Combustion Chamber

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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