Microturbine design for sustainable fuels

Abstract

In light of the urgent need to protect the environment and to identify viable alternatives to the depletion of fossil fuel resources, the application of sustainable fuels has become a key research focus across multiple sectors, including the automotive and aviation industries, as well as in gas turbines employed for power generation. Numerous investigations have addressed the utilization and potential integration of alternative fuels in various internal combustion engine configurations. Within the energy sector, gas turbines and microturbines are increasingly adopted—primarily for electricity generation—owing to their high efficiency, operational flexibility, and favorable performance characteristics. The present study describes the design of an experimental microturbine developed to investigate the combustion processes of selected sustainable fuels—primarily gaseous fuels such as hydrogen and biogas—under controlled laboratory conditions, with particular emphasis on fuel applicability and exhaust emissions. Experimental microturbines are frequently constructed using automotive turbochargers due to their mechanical compatibility and availability. In this work, the microturbine consists of a turbocharger sourced from a passenger vehicle and a purpose-built combustion chamber. The turbocharger incorporates a centrifugal compressor and a centripetal turbine, forming the basis for the counterflow combustion chamber configuration. The selection of the turbocharger, as well as the structural design of the combustion chamber, is supported by literature review and engineering calculations.