Dikkie Dik wrote:

wrote:
A new turbine has been announced which is claimed to have
unprecedented low cost and ruggedness:


http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Article...n+turbines.htm

http://www.swri.edu/4org/d18/mechflu...rb/radflow.htm

How significant is this announcement? How low-cost is low-cost? How
rugged is rugged?
What is the tradeoff to this design? Lower energy efficiency?

I like the idea, although I wonder how the turbine works. Does it
work, like spinning fireworks, by slinging the air in a radial way?
In that case, it is probably less effective than a conventional
turbine. Also, the combustion part seems a bit "wasted area" to me
(I know you need combustion, but you would rather not have placed it
on the disc). I think you run into trouble with this design if you
make it too large, for both rotating-mass reasons and turbine
earodynamical reasons. Still, combining all the rotating parts of a
jet engine into one is something brilliant.

It's a radial inflow turbine - basically a centrifugal compressor
running backwards. von Ohain's original jet engine prototype used a
similar arrangement. But it worked so well that it was dropped like
a radioactive potato.
(See, in this case, the Germans _sere_ first!)


What new applications will it enable or make practical? Turbine
lawn-mowers? Turbine-powered bicycles? New personal aircraft?
Moller SkyCar? Helmet-mounted turbine helicopter blades?

One of the first applications that springs to mind is model
aircraft. Simplicity is very important there and fuel efficiency
comes second. You could build real turbine model helicopters for a
reasonable price.

Other than the Gee-Whiz factor, what would be the advantage? Model
engines are so small that there won't be much, if any, weight
savings, (Most of the weight will be the engine carcase and you're
going to need a heftier gearbox), it'll be expensive, and who knows
how long it will last?

Comments plz?

(Btw, just as an aside -- what is a 'nanotechnology gas turbine'
anyway? Is that one of those experimental dime-sized turbines
etched from a silicon wafer that can be used to power a laptop or
PDA?)

Basically. Feed it a few drops of alcohol, and off you go. Well -
once you can get a reasonable amount of power from it. We're not
there yet.


--
Pete Stickney
Java Man knew nothing about coffee.