Abstract Over the past century, research surrounding the operation of the Nikola designed bladeless boundary layer turbine has remained sparse and relatively inconclusive. Most published research for this turbine design involves the use of dry compressed air as a working fluid, which is neither optimal nor representative of the originally intended operational specifications listed in the original patents. Little research has been conducted to investigate performance and efficiency changes caused by increasing the water vapor content of the compressed air working fluid. Theoretically, the performance of the bladeless turbine will increase as the amount of moisture in the air increases due to an increase in the enthalpy and viscosity of the working fluid. In this examination of the bladeless turbine concept, data will be obtained from both the reasonably dry compressed air and humidified air setups. The humidified air setup will be exactly the same as the dry air, except that the humidifier will contain water and an electric heating element boiler to force moisture into the relatively dry air. The temperature, pressure, flow rate, shaft power torque, and shaft angular velocity will be monitored throughout the experiment using various sensors and equipment. With the experimental data obtained from running the turbine with both dry and humidified air, the shaft power output and turbine efficiency can be obtained and compared across data sets for each relative charge condition. Experimental data for the turbine should support and confirm the theory that the performance of the bladeless turbine will increase as the amount of moisture in the compressed air working fluid increases. Introduction
Abstract Over the past century, research surrounding the operation of the Nikola designed bladeless boundary layer turbine has remained sparse and relatively inconclusive. Most published research for this turbine design involves the use of dry compressed air as a working fluid, which is neither optimal nor representative of the originally intended operational specifications listed in the original patents. Little research has been conducted to investigate performance and efficiency changes caused by increasing the water vapor content of the compressed air working fluid. Theoretically, the performance of the bladeless turbine will increase as the amount of moisture in the air increases due to an increase in the enthalpy and viscosity of the working fluid. In this examination of the bladeless turbine concept, data will be obtained from both the reasonably dry compressed air and humidified air setups. The humidified air setup will be exactly the same as the dry air, except that the humidifier will contain water and an electric heating element boiler to force moisture into the relatively dry air. The temperature, pressure, flow rate, shaft power torque, and shaft angular velocity will be monitored throughout the experiment using various sensors and equipment. With the experimental data obtained from running the turbine with both dry and humidified air, the shaft power output and turbine efficiency can be obtained and compared across data sets for each relative charge condition. Experimental data for the turbine should support and confirm the theory that the performance of the bladeless turbine will increase as the amount of moisture in the compressed air working fluid increases. Introduction
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