Turbine variants

The Mark – 1 was built out of boredom while we were slow at work one week. In 2 days, we took an exhaust tip, scrap metal, HVAC tape, and a defective turbocharger and built our first gas turbine engine. Fuel was delivered using a Detroit Diesel priming pump, oil was hand pumped into the turbo, and the spark was generated by a 2-cylinder lawnmower. MK – 1 operation terminated due to turbo thrust bearing failure. 

The Mark - 2 Was built as a senior design project. The main body was built from CNC cut stainless steel sheet rolled into the necessary tubing. A reused 76mm Holset turbocharger provided the rotating assembly. 12V power supplies the fuel pump, oil pump, as well as the starting spark and is controlled with a mounted switch panel. The fuel and oil pressure are controlled with return lines and ball valve adjustment. Oil and fuel tanks are stored in the engine framework. Mark – 2 operation terminated after catastrophic turbo bearing failure, and significant electrical updates. 

The Mark – 3 sports the same body, framework, and fuel system as the Mark - 2. The turbo was completely rebuilt including all bearings and seals and the faulty oil pump was replaced with a higher-pressure pump. The 12V system was integrated with raspberry pi, individual systems are now switched via touch screen.