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nmgolfer · 10-07-2010, 05:31 PM

This thread got me thinking about turbogenerators again, so I did a bit of googling.

First off that Jaguar is a neat vehicle and Tesla Motors should be concerned.. but I'm into fuel economy and practicality not show. Really... who needs nearly 800 hp (and all that torque) besides race car drivers?

The micro turbine(s) Jaguar used are indeed cool (looking like mini aircraft engines) but... any practical consumer automotive solution would use a single stage centrifugal compressor with the compressed air then passing through a recuperator before entering the burner and most likely expanding through single stage turbine. There should be no gearbox and the rotating assembly should be supported by air bearings. The unit should be sized to deliver a much smaller optimal load (really only need enough continuous hp to maintain cruise at highway speeds + a bit extra to recharge... the genset could continue operating after the vehicle is stopped to fully recharge and or provide power for other purposes). Also... the vehicle should be designed as a complete system where the intake air is used not only to cool the generator and electronics but is sucked from strategic locations on the auto body to provide boundary layer control to prevent separation thereby lowering the Cd. Likewise the turbine exhaust should be strategically expelled so as to enhance aerodynamics of the vehicle.

Anyway anyone familiar with these devices would arrive at the same conclusions and lo and behold... they have. Here's a blurb on a capstone 30 kw unit being installed in a Ford and delivering 80 mpg... (Not bad for a seven seat passenger vehicle) That's getting there! 100 mpg should be easily doable. (Obama ... don't let those oil industry embedded auto company execs tell you your piddly 50 mpg goal is pie in the sky!)

Capstone Turbine's Modified Ford S-Max Gets 80 MPG | Market News Video

I thought Capstone was kaput! I mistakenly figured they were history like Honeywell Power Systems when their stock tanked in the early 2000's... But they're still here! Their stock is selling for pennies but hey... The capstone turbines are great! Which ever auto mfg partners with these guys is going to have a huge advantage! I'm really happy to see they've survived the market meltdown(s).

Here is another capstone hybrid report:

Capstone Turbine CMT-380, Porsche Panamera ... - Car Videos on StreetFire

10-07-2010, 05:31 PM	#28 (permalink)
nmgolfer EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New Mexico Posts: 41 Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	This thread got me thinking about turbogenerators again, so I did a bit of googling. First off that Jaguar is a neat vehicle and Tesla Motors should be concerned.. but I'm into fuel economy and practicality not show. Really... who needs nearly 800 hp (and all that torque) besides race car drivers? The micro turbine(s) Jaguar used are indeed cool (looking like mini aircraft engines) but... any practical consumer automotive solution would use a single stage centrifugal compressor with the compressed air then passing through a recuperator before entering the burner and most likely expanding through single stage turbine. There should be no gearbox and the rotating assembly should be supported by air bearings. The unit should be sized to deliver a much smaller optimal load (really only need enough continuous hp to maintain cruise at highway speeds + a bit extra to recharge... the genset could continue operating after the vehicle is stopped to fully recharge and or provide power for other purposes). Also... the vehicle should be designed as a complete system where the intake air is used not only to cool the generator and electronics but is sucked from strategic locations on the auto body to provide boundary layer control to prevent separation thereby lowering the Cd. Likewise the turbine exhaust should be strategically expelled so as to enhance aerodynamics of the vehicle. Anyway anyone familiar with these devices would arrive at the same conclusions and lo and behold... they have. Here's a blurb on a capstone 30 kw unit being installed in a Ford and delivering 80 mpg... (Not bad for a seven seat passenger vehicle) That's getting there! 100 mpg should be easily doable. (Obama ... don't let those oil industry embedded auto company execs tell you your piddly 50 mpg goal is pie in the sky!) Capstone Turbine's Modified Ford S-Max Gets 80 MPG \| Market News Video I thought Capstone was kaput! I mistakenly figured they were history like Honeywell Power Systems when their stock tanked in the early 2000's... But they're still here! Their stock is selling for pennies but hey... The capstone turbines are great! Which ever auto mfg partners with these guys is going to have a huge advantage! I'm really happy to see they've survived the market meltdown(s). Here is another capstone hybrid report: Capstone Turbine CMT-380, Porsche Panamera ... - Car Videos on StreetFire Last edited by nmgolfer; 10-07-2010 at 06:07 PM..