Since reading the OP, I've been wondering just how big the device is...
as big as a birthday cake... a tea cup... a 35mm film canister?
There is a similar thread running on CleanMPG. In it the poster,
Brick, gives
a link for a research summary on what I take to be an earlier version, 2005,
of a similar device.
Some key phrases that give a fuzzy indication of its size:
"micro turbo engine," "micro scale"
"Wave disk can be formed as two parts
etched together..."
"The electric motor-generator can be
imprinted in the case parts
containing ports and in one of parts forming a wave disk..."
"All the presented below results correspond to the case of heat release
steam equal 800 W and disk rotational speed equal
176 500 rpm.
I'm now thinking that these devices are the size of a dime, or a shirt button,
or even the head of a pin. Seems like the air filtration requirements would be rather strict... Not "For off-road use only"
The thread at CleanMPG:
MSU receives $2.5 million DOE award to build advanced hybrid engine - CleanMPG Forums