Available Technologies

Gas turbine engines are essentially simple devices having only three parts: a compressor, a combustion area, and a turbine. Applications of such engines are well know, for example, in jet engines of aircraft, propulsion systems of tanks, and small industrial power plants. Devices such as wave rotors have been used in an attempt to improve the efficiency and the output of gas turbine engines. Most applications of gas turbine engines are very large in scale, and only recently have gas turbine engines been able to be produced in a smaller scale. Although gas turbine engines may be produced at a micro scale, such engines are not efficient and are not very typical.

Description

Michigan State University’s invention is an ultra micro gas turbine engine that includes a wave rotor and provides a new approach in increasing the efficiency of a micro scale turbine engine apparatus. The invention significantly improves efficiency, lowers internal flow velocity, uses shock wave compression, and achieves reliability through redundancy while being extremely small in size.  

IP Protection Status

U.S. patent 7,934,368