The micromix combustion concept offers an elegant compromise between premixed and nonpremixed combustion. By mixing the fuel and air at the smallest scale possible, one can achieve NO_x emissions comparable to premixed combustion while removing the risks of auto-ignition and flashback. Current literature reports multiple micromix designs that achieve low NO_x emissions (<10 ppm) with hydrogen or hydrogen-rich fuels at combustor inlet temperatures (CIT) representative of low to medium pressure ratio gas turbines (<650 K). This paper seeks to bridge the gap between current literature and the design requirements of highly recuperated ceramic gas turbines, which should allow low NO_x operation with various fuels at combustor inlet temperatures upwards of 900 K. To this end, micromix injection nozzles were designed and tested at small scale to investigate the effects of fuel composition and inlet temperature on combustion stability and NO_x emissions. The nozzles were additively manufactured in Inconel 625 having hundreds of holes as small as 0.25 mm. An axial swirler is used to induce recirculation of the products behind the nozzle, which helps stabilize combustion with hydrocarbon fuels due to their longer reaction times and slower flame speeds. Experimental results show that NO_x emissions can be decreased down to premixed levels if the jet Damköhler number is kept under a critical value, which requires increasingly smaller holes or higher jet velocities as the inlet temperature increases. Combustion instabilities are observed at low inlet temperatures with hydrocarbons, which are also correlated to the jet Damköhler number.

Hybrid electric aero-propulsion requires high power-density electric motors. The use of a constrained optimization method with the finite element analysis (FEA) is the best way to design these motors and to find the best solutions which maximize the power density. This makes it possible to take into account all the details of the geometry as well as the non-linear characteristics of magnetic materials, the conductive material and the current control strategy. Simulations were performed with a time stepping magnetodynamic solver while taking account the rotor movement and the stator winding was connected by an external electrical circuit. This study describes the magnetic FEA direct optimization approach for the design of Halbach array permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) and its advantages. An acceptable compromise between precision and computation time to estimate the electromagnetic torque, iron losses and eddy current losses was found. The finite element simulation was paired with analytical models to compute stress on the retaining sleeve, aerodynamic losses, and copper losses. This type of design procedure can be used to find the best machine configurations and establish design rules based on the specifications and materials selected. As an example, optimization results of PM motors minimizing total losses for a 150-kW application are presented for given speeds in the 2000 rpm to 50,000 rpm range. We compare different numbers of poles and power density between 5 kW/kg and 30 kW/kg. The choice of the number of poles is discussed in the function of the motor nominal speed and targeted power density as well as the compromise between iron losses and copper losses. In addition, the interest of having the current-control strategy as an optimization variable to generate a small amount of flux weakening is clearly shown.

Eccentricity faults are one of the main causes that significantly affect the performance of permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). Monitoring eccentricity in real time could prevent failures by adapting operation conditions and maintenance schedule when early signs of deterioration are detected. This article proposes making a circuit-type model of a permanent magnet machine with an easily configurable eccentricity for simulations and real-time analysis of signals under different operating conditions. The basis for the construction of the circuit model will be the simulation of the PMSM with 49 different coordinates of the rotor center, using the finite element analysis (FEA). The presence of eccentricity causes a variation in the inductances, the no-load flux and the expansion torque depending on the position of the rotor. The model proposes the use of bilinear interpolation (BI) to estimate the inductance matrix, the no-load flux vector captured by the stator winding and the cogging torque due to the presence of the magnets in the rotor, all of them for each rotor position. The validation is done by comparing the precision in the results of the machine’s self-inductances, the torque and the voltage waveform at the PMSM terminals and the static torque of the PMSM. The circuit model results are validated in two ways: (1) through experimental simulation, comparing the same results obtained using FEA and (2) through practical experimentation, producing a dynamic eccentricity in the machine of 0.3 mm. The results show that the proposed model is capable of accurately reproducing the behavior of the PMSM against eccentricity faults and presents computational time savings close to 99% compared to the response time obtained using FEA. This rapid PMSM model, parameterizable according to the degree of eccentricity, is the basis for the real-time simulation of the main machine waveforms, such as voltage, current and torque.

This paper presents the design and experimental results of a new micro gas turbine architecture exploiting counterflow within a single supersonic rotor. This new architecture, called the supersonic rim-rotor gas turbine (SRGT), uses a single rotating assembly incorporating a central hub, a supersonic turbine rotor, a supersonic compressor rotor, and a rim-rotor. This SRGT architecture can potentially increase engine power density while significantly reducing manufacturing costs. The paper presents the preliminary design of a 5 kW SRGT prototype having an external diameter of 72.5 mm and rotational speed of 125,000 rpm. The proposed aerodynamic design comprises a single stage supersonic axial compressor, with a normal shock in the stator, and a supersonic impulse turbine. A pressure ratio of 2.75 with a mass flow rate of 130 g/s is predicted using a 1D aerodynamic model in steady state. The proposed combustion chamber uses an annular reverse-flow configuration, using hydrogen as fuel. The analytical design of the combustion chamber is based on a 0D model with three zones (primary, secondary, and dilution), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to validate the analytical model. The proposed structural design incorporates a unidirectional carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer rim-rotor, and titanium alloy is used for the other rotating components. An analytical structural model and numerical validation predict structural integrity of the engine at steady-state operation up to 1000 K for the turbine blades. Experimentation has resulted in the overall engine performance evaluation. Experimentation also demonstrated a stable hydrogen flame in the combustion chamber and structural integrity of the engine for at least 30 s of steady-state operation at 1000 K.

Ceramic turbines can reduce fuel consumption by increasing turbine inlet temperatures (TIT). The need for heat-resistant materials like ceramics is particularly acute for small turbomachines for which efficiencies are limited by the use of uncooled metal turbine as complex cooling schemes are impractical and costly. Efforts to introduce ceramics in the turbine rotor were made between the 1960s and the 1990s by gas turbines and automotive manufacturers in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. While significant progress was made, a suitable level of reliability still cannot be achieved as the brittleness of ceramics leads to crack propagation in the blades loaded in tension and catastrophic failure. The inside-out ceramic turbine (ICT) is a design alternative specific to ceramics that loads the blades in compression by using an outer, air-cooled composite rim that sustains the centrifugal loads. This paper provides an analytical model based on the Brayton cycle to compute the system-level performance of microturbines using an ICT. Loss submodels specific to ICT architectures are developed to account for: (1) composite rim drag, (2) composite rim cooling, (3) leakage through rotating seals, and (4) expansion heat losses. The thermodynamic core model is validated against three state-of-the-art, non-inside-out, microturbines. Based on a Monte Carlo simulation that takes into account the modeling uncertainties, the model predicts a cycle efficiency of 45±1% for a 240 kW ICT-based microturbine, leading to a predicted reduction in fuel consumption of 20% over current all-metal microturbines.

The inside-out ceramic turbine (ICT), a novel microturbine rotor architecture, has an air-cooled ring, which keeps its composite rotating structural shroud within operating temperature. The cooling ring must achieve a significant radial temperature gradient with a minimal amount of cooling. The cooling ring is made through additive manufacturing, which opens the design space to tailored cooling geometries. Additively manufactured pin fin heat transfer enhancers are explored in this study to assess whether they hold any significant performance benefit over current rectangular cross section open channels. Experimental friction factors and Nusselt numbers were determined for small, densely-packed pin fins over an asymmetrical thermal load. Results indicate that pressure loss is similar to what can be expected for additively manufactured pin fins, whereas heat transfer is lower due to the extremely tight streamwise pin spacing, in both in-line and staggered pin configurations. A design study presented in this article suggests that pin fins are beneficial to an ICT for reducing cooling mass flowrate up to 40%, against an increase in cooling ring mass of roughly 50%.