Professor Eric J. Barth

A small scale Tesla tubine has been designed and built within the Center for Intelligent Mechatronics for the Soldier and Sensor Power Program (0-100W). The Soldier and Sensor Power Program is funded by the Army and is focused on providing electrical power for foot soldiers’ on-board systems with an energy density 15 times greater than that of current batteries. The Tesla turbine concept is intended to utilize surface effects such as viscous drag to convert kinetic flow energy into shaft power. This concept is suspected to be more scale-appropriate than traditional engines, which at small scales become dominated by friction, blowby and heat losses – all surface effects. The Tesla turbine developed for this purpose utilizes the catalytic decomposition of a mono or bi-propellant. The hot, high pressure gas resulting from this exothermic reaction is converted into kinetic flow energy through a nozzle (or nozzles) and subsequently converted into shaft power via viscous drag between closely spaced co-rotating disks.

The student will work under the supervision of Prof. Barth with the assistance of graduate student, Andy Willhite.

The student will collect and analyze experimental data on a working prototype. Data collected will include mass flow rate, turbine speed, torque and temperatures. The student will also design and implement a speed controllable load using a magnetic brake. The student will utilize the experimental results to suggest design modifications for a next version prototype.

Professor Eric J. Barth
Vanderbilt University
Department of Mechanical Engineering
VU Station B 351592
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37235-1592
Phone: (615) 322-1893
Fax: (615) 343-6925
E-mail: eric.j.barth@vanderbilt.edu