A Seminar On

TESLA TURBINES

PRESENTED BY

SOUGANTH SUGATHAN MANJHIPARAMBIL

ISAMEME057

“The desire that guides me in all I do is the desire to harness the forces of nature to the service of

mankind.”

Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943)

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 2IESCE

CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION• CONSTRUCTION• BOUNDARY LAYER CONCEPT• THEORY OF OPERATION• EFFICIENCY OF TESLA TURBINES• APPLICATIONS• PICO HYDRO• TESLA TURBINES AND PICO HYDRO• ADVANTAGES• DISADVANTAGES• CONCLUSION• REFERENCES

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 3IESCE

INTRODUCTION

• Tesla turbine is a bladeless turbine.

• It was patented by Nikola Tesla in 1913.

• It is a radial type turbine.

• Also known as Prandtl layer turbine and boundary layer turbine.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 4IESCE

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 5IESCE

PARTS OF A TESLA TURBINE

CONSTRUCTION

There are mainly 2 parts in the turbine.

Rotor

• Consists of series of smooth discs mounted on a shaft .

• Each disk is made with openings surrounding the shaft.

• These openings act as exhaust ports through which the fluid exits.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 6IESCE

Stator

• The rotor assembly is housed within a cylindrical stator, or the stationary part of the turbine.

• Each end of the stator contains a bearing for the shaft.

• The stator also contains one or two inlets, into which nozzles are inserted.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 7IESCE

• To make the turbine run, a high-pressure fluid enters the nozzles at the stator inlets.

• The fluid passes between the rotor disks and causes the rotor to spin.

• Eventually, the fluid exits through the exhaust ports in the center of the turbine.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. IESCE 8

BOUNDARY LAYER CONCEPT

• A layer of fluid developing in flows with very high Reynolds Number, Re, that is with relatively low viscosity as compared with inertia forces.

• Observed when bodies are exposed to high velocity air stream or when bodies are very large and the air stream velocity is moderate.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 9IESCE

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 10IESCE

THEORY OF OPERATION

• As the fluid moves past each disk, adhesive forces cause the fluid molecules just above the metal surface to slow down and stick.

• The molecules just above those at the surface slow down when they collide with the molecules sticking to the surface.

• These molecules in turn slow down the flow just above them.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 11IESCE

• The farther one moves away from the surface, the fewer the collisions affected by the object surface.

• At the same time, viscous forces cause the molecules of the fluid to resist separation.

• This generates a pulling force that is transmitted to the disk, causing the disk to move in the direction of the fluid.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. IESCE 12

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 13IESCE

EFFICIENCY VS RPM CURVE

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 14IESCE

EFFICIENCY OF TESLA TURBINES

• Tesla claimed a theoretical efficiency of the order of 95%.

• Actual turbine efficiency is estimated to be about 60%.

• Practical results seems to be lower than conventional turbines.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 15IESCE

APPLICATIONS

• It can be converted into a pump, called Tesla pump.

• As a multiple-disk centrifugal blood pump.

• Pico Hydro applications.

• Fluids with high viscosities, abrasives, solid particles or two phase fluids.

• As a waste pump.

• As a wind turbine

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 16IESCE

PICO HYDRO

• Harness the energy of flowing water at capacities smaller than 5kW.

• Lowest generating cost.

• Low environmental impact.

• Displacement of large populations is not required.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 17IESCE

TESLA TURBINE AND PICO HYDRO

• Simple components and design.

• Local setting manufacture lowers capital and maintenance costs.

• Lesser risk of erosion of discs.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 18IESCE

ADVANTAGES

• Low production costs.

• Simpler design and manufacture.

• Can be used for a variety of fluids.

• Can be easily reversed into a pump.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 19IESCE

DISADVANTAGES

• Low torque.

• Proof of its efficiency compared to conventional turbines is still questionable and needs more research.

• Loss of energy due to friction at high speeds.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 20IESCE

CONCLUSION

• Not compatible for applications where conventional machines are adequate.

• Should be considered in applications where conventional methods are inadequate.

• Applications which need small shaft power, highly viscous fluids or non-Newtonian fluids.

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 21IESCE

REFERENCES

[1] Rice, W., “Tesla Turbomachinery”, International Nikola Tesla Symposium, 1991.

[2] Bryan P. Ho-Yan, “Tesla Turbine for Pico Hydro Applications”, Guelph Engineering Journal, 2011.

[3] S.J. Foo, W.C. Tan and M. Shahril, “Development of Tesla Turbine for Green Energy Application”, National Conference in Mechanical Engineering Research and Postgraduate Studies, 2010

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. 22IESCE

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. IESCE 23

ANY

QUESTIONS?

GET READY FOR THE QUIZ!!

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. IESCE 24

PROBLEM???

QUESTIONS

1. What is the direction in which fluid enters and exits the turbine?

2. State a major disadvantage of Tesla turbines.

3. Why do you think the Tesla turbine is also named as Prandtl layer turbine?

Dept. of Mechanical Engg. IESCE 25