The purpose of this work is to establish the maximum theoretical efficiency that a viscous flow turbine (such as a Tesla turbine) can achieve. This is very much in the spirit of the Betz limit for wind turbines. The scaling down of viscous flow turbines is thought not to alter this result, whereas the scaling down of conventional turbines, whether axial or radial flow, results in an ever lowering of their efficiencies. A semiempirical scaling law is developed for conventional gas turbines using published machine performance data, which is fitted to a simple boundary layer model of turbine efficiency. An analytical model is developed for a viscous flow turbine. This is compared to experimental measurements of the efficiency of a Tesla turbine using compressed air. The semiempirical scaling law predicts that below a rotor diameter of between about and , a practical Brayton cycle is not possible. Despite that, however, and for rotor diameters less than between about and , a viscous flow turbine, compressor, or pump will be more efficient than a conventional design. This may have a significant impact on the design of microelectromechanical system devices.
Skip Nav Destination
e-mail: rdeam@groupwise.swin.edu.au
e-mail: elemma@swin.edu.au
e-mail: bm@alphalink.com.au
e-mail: racoll@ozemail.com.au
Article navigation
September 2008
Research Papers
On Scaling Down Turbines to Millimeter Size
R. T. Deam,
R. T. Deam
Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences,
e-mail: rdeam@groupwise.swin.edu.au
Industrial Research Institute Swinburne
, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
E. Lemma,
E. Lemma
Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences,
e-mail: elemma@swin.edu.au
Industrial Research Institute Swinburne
, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
B. Mace,
e-mail: bm@alphalink.com.au
B. Mace
Micromachines Ltd.
, 20 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
R. Collins
e-mail: racoll@ozemail.com.au
R. Collins
Micromachines Ltd.
, 20 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
R. T. Deam
Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences,
Industrial Research Institute Swinburne
, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australiae-mail: rdeam@groupwise.swin.edu.au
E. Lemma
Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences,
Industrial Research Institute Swinburne
, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australiae-mail: elemma@swin.edu.au
B. Mace
Micromachines Ltd.
, 20 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australiae-mail: bm@alphalink.com.au
R. Collins
Micromachines Ltd.
, 20 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australiae-mail: racoll@ozemail.com.au
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. Sep 2008, 130(5): 052301 (9 pages)
Published Online: June 12, 2008
Article history
Received:
January 24, 2007
Revised:
April 24, 2008
Published:
June 12, 2008
Citation
Deam, R. T., Lemma, E., Mace, B., and Collins, R. (June 12, 2008). "On Scaling Down Turbines to Millimeter Size." ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. September 2008; 130(5): 052301. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2938516
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Study Of Tandem Rotor Dual Wake Interaction With Downstream Stator Under Unsteady Numerical Approach
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power
An Efficient Uncertainty Quantification Method Based on Inter-Blade Decoupling for Compressors
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (April 2025)
Experimental Design Validation of a Swirl-Stabilized Burner With Fluidically Variable Swirl Number
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (April 2025)
Experimental Characterization of a Bladeless Air Compressor
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (April 2025)
Related Articles
Casing Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient and Reference Freestream Temperature Determination Near an Axial Flow Turbine Rotor
J. Heat Transfer (August,2011)
An Implicit Fluctuation Splitting Scheme for Turbomachinery Flows
J. Turbomach (April,2005)
Influence of Stator-Rotor Interaction on the Aerothermal Performance of Recess Blade Tips
J. Turbomach (January,2011)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Outlook
Closed-Cycle Gas Turbines: Operating Experience and Future Potential
Introduction
Turbine Aerodynamics: Axial-Flow and Radial-Flow Turbine Design and Analysis
Performance and Mechanical Equipment Standards
Handbook for Cogeneration and Combined Cycle Power Plants, Second Edition