Tesla Turbine

Teaser text

The Tesla Turbine is a miniature combustion-driven power generation system that can be used as a personal, portable power supply for individuals, or as a power plant for small autonomous systems such as UAVs.

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Competitive advantage

  • Much higher power/mass ratio than existing battery technologies
  • Unlike other turbine technologies, the Tesla Turbine performance improves as the scale decreases
  • Simple to use and maintain, and field-serviceable
  • Very small footprint, with the turbine and generator integrated into design

Impact

  • The main use of this technology is as a portable power supply for devices used by soldiers
  • The device has potential for development as a power plant for small autonomous systems, either for direct power or for electrical generation systems

Successful applications

  • Successfully prototyped

Capabilities and facilities

  • Computational fluid dynamic modelling of the combustor
  • Laser diagnostics for optimising combustion efficiency