A review on the structures and characteristics of micro-turbojet engines

Authors

1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Aerospace Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

Abstract

Nowadays, micro-turbojet engines are widely used in various fields, from recreational devices to drones and missiles in the military industry. Given their remarkable performance, numerous companies have entered this area and produced a variety of products. This widespread use and diverse range of products have led to an increased importance of review studies in this subject. In this research, an extensive study has been conducted on micro-turbojet engines with a thrust force below 1000 Newtons. These engines have a diameter less than 300 mm, compressor pressure ratio less than 5 and fuel consumption lower than 2500 gr/min. Statistical analysis of the engines within this thrust range has yielded valuable information regarding the structural and performance specifications of this category of engines, which is presented in the form of tables and graphs. In this study, the main components of these engines, including the compressor, combustion chamber, turbine, and auxiliary systems, as well as their interconnections, are described. Although the overall structure of these engines is similar to large-scale aircraft engines, there are significant differences in design philosophy, types of main components, and details. At the end of the paper, specifications of over one hundred micro-turbojet engines available worldwide including thrust range, dimensions, engine rotor speed, air flow rate, fuel consumption, and turbine temperature are presented.

Keywords

Main Subjects


[1] Oppong, F., van der Spuy, S., von Backström, T., & Diaby, A. L. (2015). An overview of micro gas turbine engine performance investigation. R&D J, 31, 35-41.
[2] Dutczak, J. (2016). Micro turbine engines for drones propulsion. In IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 148, No. 1, p. 012063). IOP Publishing.
[3] Costa, F. P., Henrique, L., Whitacker, L., Bringhenti, C., & Tomita, J. T. (2019). An overview of small gas turbine engines. In Proc. of the 24th ISABE conf., Canberra, Australia (pp. 22-27).
[4] Elzahaby, A. M., Khalil, M. K., & Khalil, H. E. (2016). Theoretical and experimental analysis of a micro turbojet engine’s performance. Int. J. of Scientific & Engineering Research, 7(1), 404-410.
[5] Wu, X., Hu, X., Xiang, X., Lin, S., You, J., & Tian, F. (2023). An analysis approach for micro gas turbine engine's performance by experiment and numerical simulation. Case Stud. Therm. Eng., 49, 103305.
[6] Imani, A., Anjomrouz, A., Rasti-Jahromi, A. (2023). Thermodynamic modelling of a two spool unmixed flow micro-turbofan engine. 21st International Conf. On Iranian Aerospace.
[7] Ashry, M. M. (2020). Controller Design for Micro Turbojet Engine. In 2020 12th International Conf. on Electrical Engineering (ICEENG) (pp. 436-440). IEEE.
[8] Huang, L., Gu, F., Zhang, Y., & He, Y. (2016). Modeling and Timing Simulation of Micro Turbine engine in Starting Process. In IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 157, No. 1, p. 012022). IOP Publishing.
[9] Montazeri-Gh, M., Fashandi, S. A. M., & Jafari, S. (2018). Theoretical and experimental study of a micro jet engine start-up behaviour. Tehnički vjesnik, 25(3), 839-845.
[10] Xia, C., Fu, X., Wan, Z., Huang, G., & Chen, J. (2013). Research on windmill starting characteristics of MTE-D micro turbine engine. Chinese J. of Aeronautics, 26(4), 858-867.
[11] Barsi, D., Bottino, A., Perrone, A., Ratto, L., & Zunino, P. (2019). Design of a centrifugal compressor for micro gas turbine: investigation of scaling and tip clearance effects. Open J. of Fluid Dynamics, 9(01), 49.
[12] Burger, C. J., Van der Spuy, S. J., & von Backström, T. W. (2017). Design of a Compact Crossover Diffuser for Micro Gas Turbines Using a Mean-Line Code. Int. J. of Turbo & Jet-Engines, 36(4), 347-357.
[13] Jie, C., & Guoping, H. (2010). Redesign of an 11 cm-diameter Micro Diffuser. Chinese J. of aeronautics, 23(3), 298-305.
[14] Nili-Ahmadabadi, M., & Maleki, H. M. (2015). One-Dimensional Design of Centrifugal Compressor of a Turo-shaft Engine with Optimization of 90-Degree Bend Duct between Radial and Axial Diffuser. J. of Solid and Fluid Mech., 5(3), 65-77. doi: 10.22044/jsfm.2015.557
[15] Sebelev, A. A., Tikhonov, A. S., Aleksenskiy, V. A., Shengals, A. A., & Klyavin, O. I. (2021). Aerodynamic analysis of the small-scaled centrifugal compressor for micro-turbojet engine applications. J. of Physics: Conf. Series (Vol. 1891, No. 1, p. 012017).
[16] Xiang, J., Schlüter, J. U., & Duan, F. (2017). Study of KJ-66 micro gas turbine compressor: Steady and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes approach. Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng., Part G: J. Aerosp. Eng., 231(5), 904-917.
[17] Czarnecki, M., & Olsen, J. (2018). Combined Methods in Preliminary Micro Scale Gas Turbine Diffuser Design–a Practical Approach. J. of Appl. Fluid Mech., 11(3), 567-575.
[18] Diener, O. H. F. (2016). Development of a mixed-flow compressor impeller for micro gas turbine application. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
[19] Kock, M. P. (2017). Design of a cross-over diffuser for a mixed flow compressor impeller. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
[20] Van der Merwe, B. B. (2012). Design of a centrifugal compressor impeller for micro gas turbine application. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
[21] Krige, D. S. (2013). Performance evaluation of a micro gas turbine centrifugal compressor diffuser. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
[22] Habibi, F. I., Hartono, F., & Prayogo, H. (2019). Optimization of an Annular Combustion Chamber for Micro Turbo Jet System. IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 645, No. 1, p. 012009).
[23] Mohammed, R. S. E. (2019). Design and analysis of annular combustion chamber for a micro turbojet engine. International J. of Aerosp. and Mech. Eng., 13(4), 282-287.
[24] Toro, C. A. G., Wong, K. C., & Armfield, S. (2007). Computational study of a micro-turbine engine combustor using large eddy simulation and Reynolds averaged turbulence models. ANZIAM J., 49, C407-C422.
[25] Enagi, I. I., Al-Attab, K. A., & Zainal, Z. A. (2017). Combustion chamber design and performance for micro gas turbine application. Fuel Process. Technol., 166, 258-268.
[26] Moodley, R. (2016). Design and evaluation of a single stage axial flow turbine rotor for a micro turbojet engine. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Johannesburg. Johannesburg.
[27] Zhang, H. (2023). Three-Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of the Turbine Blades of a Micro Turbojet Engine. J. of Physics: Conf. Series (Vol. 2458, No. 1, p. 012036).
[28] Basson, J. G. T. (2014). Design methodology of an axial-flow turbine for a micro jet engine. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
[29] Briones, A., Sykes, J., Rankin, B. A., & Caswell, A. W. (2020). Steady-state cfd simulations of a small-scale turbojet engine from idle to cruise conditions. AIAA scitech 2020 forum (p. 2084).
[30] Shahriari, B., Yousefi, S., Tajdari, M., & Karamooz, M. R. (2015). Optimum design of the turbine blisk of a mini-turbojet engine. Aerosp. Knowl. and Technol. Journal, 4(1), 83-98. (In Persian)
[31] Kumar, R., Kumar, V. S., Butt, M. M., Sheikh, N. A., Khan, S. A., & Afzal, A. (2020). Thermo-mechanical analysis and estimation of turbine blade tip clearance of a small gas turbine engine under transient operating conditions. Appl. Therm. Eng., 179, 115700.
 [32] Alihosseini, A. R., Boroomand, M., Tousi, A. M., & Horoufi, A. (2012). Design and Developement of a Microjet Engine Indoor Test Cell. ASME Int. Mech. Eng. Congress and Exposition (Vol. 45172, pp. 409-417).
[33] Capata, R. (2015). Experimental tests of the operating conditions of a micro gas turbine device. J. Energy Power Eng, 9(4), 326-335.
[34] Derbel, K., & Beneda, K. (2020). Development of airborne test environment for micro turbojet engine-part II: remote measurement system. New Trends in Aviation Development (NTAD) (pp. 43-48). IEEE.
[35] Zhu, H., Du, F., Zhao, S., Xu, Z., & Lv, Z. (2016). Design of a new type thrust measuring system for micro-turbojet engine. 2nd Int. Conf. on Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Engineering (AIIE 2016) (pp. 474-477). Atlantis Press.
[36] Hybl Turbine Company Website, https://www.hyblturbines.cz/
[37] Holobeny, D., Polanka, M. D., & Bohan, B. T. (2020). Analysis of a Compact Combustor for Use in a JetCat P90 RXi. AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum (p. 0625).
[38] Öttl, C., & Willinger, R. (2020). Thermodynamic and Mechanical Design Concept for Micro-Turbojet to Micro-Turboshaft Engine Conversion. ASME Turbo Expo: Power for Land, Sea, and Air (Vol. 84195, p. V008T20A005).
[39] Kröger, G., Siller, U., Moser, T., & Hediger, S. (2014). Towards a highly efficient small scale turboshaft engine: Part I—Engine concept and compressor design. ASME Turbo Expo: Power for Land, Sea, and Air (Vol. 45615, p. V02BT45A015).
[40] El-Sayed, A. F. (2016). Fundamentals of aircraft and rocket propulsion (p. 1010). London: Springer.
[41] Mattingly, J. D., Boyer, K. M., & von Ohain, H. (2006). Elements of propulsion: gas turbines and rockets (Vol. 53). Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
[42] Benini, E., & Giacometti, S. (2007). Design, manufacturing and operation of a small turbojet-engine for research purposes. Appl. Energy, 84(11), 1102-1116.
[43] Hill, P. G., & Peterson, C. R. (1992). Mechanics and thermodynamics of propulsion. Reading.
[44] Hong, S., Mugabi, J., & Jeong, J. H. (2022). Numerical Study on Vortical Flow Structure and Performance Enhancement of Centrifugal Compressor Impeller. Appl. Sciences, 12(15), 7755.
[45] Wilkosz, B. E., Jeschke, P., & Olivier, H. (2015). Aerodynamic Losses in an Aero Engine Centrifugal Compressor With a Close-Coupled Pipe-Diffuser and a Radial-Axial Deswirler (No. RWTH-2015-01729). Lehrstuhl und Institut für Strahlantriebe und Turboarbeitsmaschinen.
[46] Burger, C. (2016). Design procedure of a compact aerodynamic crossover diffuser for micro gas turbine application. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
[47] Olivier, A. J. (2015). An experimental and numerical investigation of vaporizer tubes associated with micro gas turbines. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
[48] Lefebvre, A. H., & Ballal, D. R. (2010). Gas turbine combustion: alternative fuels and emissions. CRC press.
[49] Petrie, K. (1964). Development of a Small Single- and Two-Shaft Gas Turbine for Military Applications. Proc. of the Inst. of Mech. Eng. 179(1), 343-364.
[50] Fuchs, F., Meidinger, V., Neuburger, N., Reiter, T., Zündel, M., & Hupfer, A. (2016). Challenges in designing very small jet engines-fuel distribution and atomization. 16th Int. Symposium on Transport Phenomena and Dynamics of Rotating Machinery.
[51] Celic, E., Uslu, S., & Topal, A. (2011). Numerical simulation of the reacting flow through the combustor of a small scale turboprop engine. Ankara Int. Aerospace Conf.
[52] AMT Company Website, https://www.amtjets.com/
[53] Fulara, S., Chmielewski, M., & Gieras, M. (2020). Variable geometry in miniature gas turbine for improved performance and reduced environmental impact. Energies, 13(19), 5230.
[54] Leylek, Z., Anderson, W. S., Rowlinson, G., & Smith, N. (2013). An investigation into performance modeling of a small gas turbine engine. ASME Turbo Expo: Power for Land, Sea, and Air (Vol. 55195, p. V05AT23A007).
[55] Hawk Turbine Company Website, http://www.hawkturbine.com/
[56] Marsh, D. A. (2019). Conversion of a kerosene-fuelled gas turbine to run on propane. Master of Engineering Thesis, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
[57] Nylén, M. (2013). Performance prediction of a microjet engine run on alternative fuels.
[58] Söğüt, M. Z. (2018). Exergetic irreversibility and sustainability performances for alternative fuels in the micro-turbojet engine. Int. J. of Green Energy, 15(3), 169-180.
[59] Tan, I. H., & Liou, W. (2013). Performance and emission of a biofueled micro turbojet engine. 51st AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition (p. 110).
[60] JetJoe Company Website, http://www.jetjoe.com/
[61] Lambert Company Website, http://www.lambert-modellturbinen.de/
[62] JetCat Company Website, https://www.jetcat.de/
[63] KingTech Company Website, http://www.kingtechturbines.com/
[64] Turbine Solution Company Website, https://www.turbinesolutions.co.uk/
[65] XICOY Company Website, http://www.xicoyturbines.com/
[66] PSTjet Company Website, https://www.pstjets.com/
[67] SW-jet Company Website, https://www.sw-jet.com/
[68] JetCentral Company Website, https://jetcentral.com.mx/
[69] Jets-munt Company Website, https://jets-munt.com/
[70] Jetpol Company Website, https://jetpol.tech/
[71] Evojet Company Website, http://xtcm.evojets.de/
[72] BF-turbine Company Website, http://www.bf-turbines.de/
[73] Behotec Company Website, http://www.behotec.de/
[74] Frank Turbine Company Website, https://frankturbine.com/
[75] PSR-jets Company Website, http://www.psr-jet-system.com/
[76] PBS Company Website, https://www.pbs.cz/en/
[77] TEI Company Website, https://www.tei.com.tr/en
[78] Propsan Company Website, https://propsan.com/
[79] Jetbeetle Company Website, http://jetbeetle.com/
[80] Polaris Company Website, https://www.polaristec.com.br/