Micro Gas Turbine Manufacturing Using Segmented Turbocharger Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high design, development, and manufacturing costs of micro gas turbines make them prohibitively expensive for consumer applications, particularly in the 1 kW to 5 kW power range, due to complex structural and rotordynamic requirements and custom design needs for shaft alignment and bearing systems.
Innovation Solution
Divide an existing compressor-turbine unit into separate compressor and turbine parts, connect existing bearing units to each, and use a generator housing with interfaces for connection, mounting the generator rotor on the joined shaft without its own bearings or shaft, leveraging inexpensive, high-quality turbochargers and generators to reduce costs and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If custom design and manufacturing of compressor, turbine, generator, shafts and bearings is performed to meet structural and rotordynamic requirements, then performance and reliability are improved, but design, development and manufacturing costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the micro gas turbine system into separate functional modules: an existing turbocharger unit (compressor + turbine) and a separate generator unit. This segmentation allows each component to be independently selected from existing proven designs, avoiding the need for custom integrated design while maintaining overall system performance and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention makes the generator universal by designing it to interface with existing turbocharger units through standardized mounting flanges and bearing connections. The generator can be coupled to various compressor-turbine combinations without requiring custom design, enabling the same generator design to serve multiple micro gas turbine applications.
2Speed
If custom shaft and bearing systems are designed to meet high rotational speed and alignment requirements, then rotordynamic performance is improved, but manufacturing costs and design effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses pre-manufactured turbocharger units that have already been engineered and tested for high rotational speed performance. The shafts and bearings are selected from existing turbocharger designs that have proven rotordynamic characteristics, eliminating the need for preliminary custom design and testing of shaft-bearing systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention copies proven shaft and bearing designs from existing turbocharger units rather than creating new custom designs. The compressor shaft and turbine shaft are directly utilized from the turbocharger, and the generator shaft is coupled to these existing shafts, replicating the successful rotordynamic configuration of the turbocharger.
3Reliability
If generator is designed with its own bearings and shaft to meet structural requirements, then generator reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the generator shaft function with the turbocharger shaft system. The generator rotor is directly coupled to the compressor shaft or turbine shaft, and the generator bearings are integrated with the turbocharger bearing units. This merging eliminates redundant shaft and bearing components while maintaining generator reliability through the proven turbocharger shaft-bearing system.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an inexpensive micro gas turbine 1. According to this method, an existing compressor-turbine unit is divided into two separate parts being a compressor 3 and a turbine 5. The compressor and turbine shafts are joined. Two existing bearing units (11 and 17) are taken, wherein one of them may belong to the existing compressor-turbine unit. The rotor 25 of an existing generator 7 is mounted on the joined shaft. A generator housing 21 is manufactured and connected to the bearing units. The stator 23 of an existing generator 7 is mounted into the generator housing. Energy input into the working cycle of the gas turbine can be implemented by adding either an internal burner or external burner with a heat exchanger. By using inexpensive and often mass produced off-the-shelf components, a cost effective micro gas turbine can be derived.