The design of a test rig and study of the performance and efficiency of a Tesla disc turbine

Abstract A Tesla disc turbine and a flexible test rig have been designed and manufactured, and experimental results are presented. An analysis of the performance and efficiency of the disc turbine is carried out. The design philosophy of the flexible test rig has been explained. Various complementary methods of measurement have been implemented and compared, and several operational experiences have been noted. A new simple method, the angular acceleration method, for measuring output torque and power in a Tesla turbine has been developed. This proved to be a successful method for overcoming the difficulties associated with the determination of very low torque at very high angular speed.

[1]  Warren Rice.  An Analytical and Experimental Investigation of Multiple-Disk Turbines , 1965 .

[2]  A. Guha.  A unified theory of aerodynamic and condensation shock waves in vapor‐droplet flows with or without a carrier gas , 1994 .

[3]  W.J. Fleming,et al.  Automotive torque measurement: A summary of seven different methods , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology.

[4]  Kyihwan Park,et al.  Optimal robust control of a contactless brake system using an eddy current , 1999 .

[5]  Abhijit Guha,et al.  Jump conditions across normal shock waves in pure vapour-droplet flows , 1992 .

[6]  A. Guha.  Computation, analysis and theory of two-phase flows , 1998, The Aeronautical Journal (1968).

[7]  A Guha.  Effects of internal combustion and non-perfect gas properties on the optimum performance of gas turbines , 2003 .

[8]  Abhijit Guha.  Optimisation of aero gas turbine engines , 2001 .

[9]  Emmanuel Simeu,et al.  Modeling and control of an eddy current brake , 1996 .

[10]  Henry Cohen,et al.  Gas Turbine Theory - 4th Edition , 1987 .

[11]  Abhijit Guha,et al.  Optimum fan pressure ratio for bypass engines with separate or mixed exhaust streams , 2001 .

[12]  S. H. Hasinger,et al.  Investigation of a Shear-Force Pump , 1963 .

[13]  Abhijit Guha.  Structure of partly dispersed normal shock waves in vapor‐droplet flows , 1992 .

[14]  A Guha.  Performance and optimization of gas turbines with real gas effects , 2001 .

[15]  A. Guha.  An efficient generic method for calculating the properties of combustion products , 2001 .

[16]  James Hal Armstrong.  An investigation of the performance of a modified Tesla turbine , 1952 .

[17]  Abhijit Guha.  A unified theory for the interpretation of total pressure and temperature in two-phase flows at subsonic and supersonic speeds , 1998, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[18]  Jack D. Mattingly,et al.  Elements of Gas Turbine Propulsion , 1996 .

[19]  Nikhil Patel,et al.  Biomass Boundary Layer Turbine Power System , 2002 .

[20]  J. H. Faupel,et al.  Engineering design: A synthesis of stress analysis and materials engineering , 1981 .

[21]  Sohel Anwar,et al.  A parametric model of an eddy current electric machine for automotive braking applications , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology.

[22]  J. S. Wyler,et al.  Generalized Flow Across an Abrupt Enlargement , 1976 .

[23]  E. W. Beans.  Investigation into the performance characteristics of a friction turbine. , 1966 .

[24]  D. McCloy,et al.  Modelling and control , 1986 .

[25]  Sherif S. Gindy.  Force and Torque Measurement, A Technology Overview Part II-Torque , 1985 .

[26]  Gerald L. Morrison,et al.  Performance Characteristics of a Multiple-Disk Centrifugal Pump , 1987 .