New twist on turbines

Engineers at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in the US have developed and built a radial flow gas turbine that is very rugged, low-cost and easy to repair.

Many of the approximately 50,000 modern industrial gas turbines in use throughout the world are technically complex machines that have multiple rotating parts, lubricating oil systems and sophisticated electronic controls. Some are so technically sophisticated that many users cannot perform basic repairs and maintenance.

Most gas turbines use an axial flow compressor and an axial flow turbine design, and have more than a thousand individual parts.

In contrast, the SwRI design is based on a purely radial flow, open-cycle gas turbine concept, consisting of three principal components: a centrifugal compressor, a radial flow combustor and a high-impulse radial turbine. The compressor and turbine are mounted on a single rotating disk while the combustor and turbine nozzles are mounted on an opposing stationary disk.