Fuel and Combustion

Fuel and Combustion

Design, fabrication and evaluation of microturbine based on turbocharger with power generation purpose

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Abbas Zandi lak
Sadegh Tabe jamaat
Milad Bastani
Saeed Reza Zadsirjan
Behrad Karimi
Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jfnc.2026.587997.1462
Abstract
This study presents the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of a cost-effective micro gas turbine platform based on an automotive turbocharger for distributed-power and advanced combustion research [3], [4]. The thermodynamic cycle was modeled in GasTurb and optimized through a uniform random-search procedure to minimize specific fuel consumption while maintaining a nominal shaft-power target near 100 kW. The optimized solution yielded a pressure ratio of 5, a corrected air mass flow rate of 0.618 kg/s, a predicted shaft power of 110.93 kW, and a specific fuel consumption of 0.3356 kg/kW·h, providing the basis for selection of a Holset HX55 turbocharger. The experimental system integrated the compressor–turbine assembly with a modular combustion chamber, an independent lubrication unit, a blower-based starting system, and a multi-sensor data-acquisition architecture. Propane-fueled tests were conducted through start-up, transient acceleration, imposed fuel-flow disturbance, and steady-state operation [7]. The rig achieved a maximum measured air mass flow rate of 0.35 kg/s and a peak combustion-chamber thermal power of approximately 225 kW. During steady operation, the compressor isentropic efficiency stabilized at about 70%, while the compressor discharge temperature increased from 332 to 369 K as the system moved to the higher-load condition. The asymptotic convergence of calculated turbine and compressor powers at steady state supported the expected single-shaft power balance. The modular combustor also remained stable through the imposed transient disturbance. The results demonstrate that an appropriately selected and integrated automotive turbocharger can provide a technically robust and economically attractive high-flow test platform, with clear potential for future investigations of biofuels, hydrogen, recuperated cycles, and distributed-generation concepts

Highlights

A complete micro gas turbine research platform was successfully developed by integrating a commercially available Holset HX55 automotive turbocharger with a purpose-built modular combustion chamber, lubrication system, blower-based starter, fuel system, and data-acquisition architecture. Thermodynamic optimization provided a rational basis for component selection rather than relying solely on turbocharger availability, with the optimized GasTurb cycle predicting approximately 110.93 kW of shaft power and 0.3356 kg/kW·h specific fuel consumption.
Experimental testing with propane confirmed stable operation through start-up, transient acceleration, externally imposed fuel-flow variation, and steady operating conditions. The system reached a maximum measured air mass flow rate of approximately 350 g/s, a peak combustion thermal power of approximately 225 kW, and a steady compressor isentropic efficiency of approximately 70%. Convergence of turbine and compressor power under steady conditions further supported the thermodynamic consistency of the measured data and the expected mechanical balance of the single-shaft assembly.
The principal value of the developed configuration is its combination of comparatively accessible hardware, high airflow capability, modular combustor geometry, and experimentally demonstrated stability. The platform therefore provides a practical basis for future high-pressure combustion research without requiring purpose-built turbomachinery for every development iteration. Nevertheless, the intrinsic limitations of using components originally designed for automotive rather than continuous microturbine service must be recognized, particularly with respect to long-duration operation and off-design behavior.
Future development should consequently focus on long-duration endurance testing, incorporation of exhaust-gas heat recuperation, closed-loop fuel and speed control, and adaptation of the modular liner and fuel-injection system for biofuels and hydrogen. These developments would allow the present platform to progress from a proof-of-concept experimental microturbine toward a more versatile facility for investigating fuel-flexible distributed-generation and advanced combustion technologies.

 

Keywords
microturbine
combustion chamber
turbocharger
distributed power generation
Subjects
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