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Technology update
Mini turbine engine laboratory
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A cutaway view of TTL's SR-30 engine for the Mini-Lab.
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In operation at Ohio Northern University, the University of Minnesota,
and Princeton University, Turbine Technologies Ltd. (TTL)'s Mini-Lab
system offers engineering students the opportunity to experience
first-hand the dynamics of real jet-engine operation. Mini-Lab is a
turnkey gas-turbine laboratory designed to provide universities with an
affordable and convenient instrument for educating students on such
concepts as compressibility, the Brayton cycle, mass and airflow rates,
combustion characteristics, turbine power output, compressor power
requirements, and specific fuel consumption.
Various components of the SR-30 engine.
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One of the major challenges facing TTL in its development of the Mini-Lab
was that most existing small gas turbine engines, found typically in
missiles and drones, were "throwaways." To ensure affordability, TTL
designed and manufactured an engine for the Mini-Lab, the SR-30. It
features a fully recirculating oil system, which constantly filters and
cools the oil. A pressure pump supplies a continuous oil mist to the
engine's high-precision angular contact bearings. Mechanical and bleed
air seals ensure engine reliability and longevity.
The engine also contains six high-pressure atomizer nozzles
(spill burner/return-flow type) that provide good fuel atomization,
resulting in cleaner-burning and reliable starting characteristics.
The fuel control unit is hydromechanical and electric ignition is
performed by a high-voltage transformer and igniter.
The SR-30 is also equipped with an extensive sensor package, which
monitors pressure, temperature, flow, thrust, and engine speed. These
sensors are routed to a centralized access port, which allows for easy
connection to a variety of data-acquisition tools.
The Mini-Lab is also equipped with a complete operator's console, which
includes all the necessary controls and instrumentation for directing
the engine throughout its operating envelope (40,000 rpm idle to a
maximum speed of 87,000 rpm). Digital and analog displays, status and
warning lights, a master key, and an electronics master switch complete
the system.
Frank Bokulich
Aerospace Engineering August 2000
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