Advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro‐Tesla turbines
Abstract Tesla turbines, featuring bladeless turbomachinery and energy transformation using the viscosity of the working medium, have wide application prospects in renewable energy utilization as micropower equipment and portable power units and show better aerodynamic performance with a smaller tur...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Energy Science & Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.1417 |
| _version_ | 1797829859173466112 |
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| author | Wenjiao Qi Qinghua Deng Shuxia Yuan Bing Chen |
| author_facet | Wenjiao Qi Qinghua Deng Shuxia Yuan Bing Chen |
| author_sort | Wenjiao Qi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Tesla turbines, featuring bladeless turbomachinery and energy transformation using the viscosity of the working medium, have wide application prospects in renewable energy utilization as micropower equipment and portable power units and show better aerodynamic performance with a smaller turbine size. In this paper, a miniaturization method of Tesla turbines, including the stator and rotor, was proposed based on its sensitivity analysis results and flow similitude law. A typical Tesla turbine with a disc outer diameter of 100 mm was miniaturized to 50, 20, and 10 mm, respectively. In addition, the miniaturized Tesla turbines, including both the simplified single‐channel turbine model and the multichannel turbine model used in practical applications, were simulated numerically. The results show that the miniaturization method that maintains the two high‐impact dimensionless parameters at their optimal values is simple, reasonable, and effective. The isentropic efficiency of the single‐channel Tesla turbine decreases slightly with its scaling down. However, for the multichannel Tesla turbine in practical applications, the isentropic efficiency increases significantly with a decrease in turbine size, due to a decrease in the impact of the outermost disc channel on the flow fields of the inner disc channels (called the casing wall effect). This is embodied by the phenomenon that part of the working medium in the inner disc channels flows into the outermost disc channel through the nozzle‐rotor chamber, and the proportion of this part of the working medium decreases significantly with a decrease in turbine size. In conclusion, the Tesla turbine with a smaller turbine size exhibits better aerodynamic performance and has great potential in the field of microturbomachinery. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:26:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-db3f18ec1e584801a0fb8f9973b64034 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-0505 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:26:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energy Science & Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-db3f18ec1e584801a0fb8f9973b640342023-05-10T07:56:55ZengWileyEnergy Science & Engineering2050-05052023-05-011151734175210.1002/ese3.1417Advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro‐Tesla turbinesWenjiao Qi0Qinghua Deng1Shuxia Yuan2Bing Chen3School of Mechanical Engineering Xi'an Shiyou University Xi'an ChinaShaanxi Engineering Laboratory of Turbomachinery and Power Equipment, Institute of Turbomachinery Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering Xi'an Shiyou University Xi'an ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering Xi'an Shiyou University Xi'an ChinaAbstract Tesla turbines, featuring bladeless turbomachinery and energy transformation using the viscosity of the working medium, have wide application prospects in renewable energy utilization as micropower equipment and portable power units and show better aerodynamic performance with a smaller turbine size. In this paper, a miniaturization method of Tesla turbines, including the stator and rotor, was proposed based on its sensitivity analysis results and flow similitude law. A typical Tesla turbine with a disc outer diameter of 100 mm was miniaturized to 50, 20, and 10 mm, respectively. In addition, the miniaturized Tesla turbines, including both the simplified single‐channel turbine model and the multichannel turbine model used in practical applications, were simulated numerically. The results show that the miniaturization method that maintains the two high‐impact dimensionless parameters at their optimal values is simple, reasonable, and effective. The isentropic efficiency of the single‐channel Tesla turbine decreases slightly with its scaling down. However, for the multichannel Tesla turbine in practical applications, the isentropic efficiency increases significantly with a decrease in turbine size, due to a decrease in the impact of the outermost disc channel on the flow fields of the inner disc channels (called the casing wall effect). This is embodied by the phenomenon that part of the working medium in the inner disc channels flows into the outermost disc channel through the nozzle‐rotor chamber, and the proportion of this part of the working medium decreases significantly with a decrease in turbine size. In conclusion, the Tesla turbine with a smaller turbine size exhibits better aerodynamic performance and has great potential in the field of microturbomachinery.https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.1417aerodynamic performanceflow characteristicsmicro‐Tesla turbineminiaturization method |
| spellingShingle | Wenjiao Qi Qinghua Deng Shuxia Yuan Bing Chen Advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro‐Tesla turbines Energy Science & Engineering aerodynamic performance flow characteristics micro‐Tesla turbine miniaturization method |
| title | Advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro‐Tesla turbines |
| title_full | Advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro‐Tesla turbines |
| title_fullStr | Advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro‐Tesla turbines |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro‐Tesla turbines |
| title_short | Advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro‐Tesla turbines |
| title_sort | advantages of the aerodynamic performance of micro tesla turbines |
| topic | aerodynamic performance flow characteristics micro‐Tesla turbine miniaturization method |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.1417 |
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