Found a turbo!

[NPloysa]

Woohoo, I can get my jet engine running again! I burned up my HT3B turbine wheel from a hot start and gave up on it for a while.



Went searching for a cartridge yesterday in Denver so I can run the engine at the ATS/TDR Summit. I went to Western Truck supply, found a few from Cummins N14s but drove out of there real quick when the guy told me what he wanted. $400! It was in decent shape but about $300 more than I wanted to pay.



I then went to Interstate Turbo where I got my original one for $50. I saw it's twin brother there so I picked it up. Manager said $100 cash. I only had $60 so he let it go for that. $10 more for this one than the first, and it's compressor wheel is in better shape.



Now I have a spare compressor wheel, and compressor and turbine housings, just in case.



I'm cleaning it today, and will hopefully get it running this weekend. Clint @ ATS told me to bring it by and he will paint it in ATS colors.



Woops, wrong forum!!!!



Nick

 

[snowracer69]

pics of said engine please?



A friend of mine has built 2 functional and is working on his third off and on when he has time and money. Very impressive to do something like this from scratch. The cool thing about his latest is it has 6 flame tubes... looks very cool.

 

[NPloysa]

I will get pics ASAP. If not before February 12th, then on that day for sure when I run it at ATS. Mine is using the turbo as the turbine and compressor section, a true turbojet, but not a true axial flow/centrifugal compressor and turbine type.



Nick

 

[snowracer69]

I assumed that, and all three of my friends have as well. His first was huge, about 7 feet long for the flame tube. His second was smaller, only about 3 feet long, but still only one flame tube. His latest is using a T04 turbo (I believe... little ricer turbo) and he has custom made all the modifications to the turbo itself to allow for this (6 outlets from compressor housing, 6 inlets to turbine). He has fabricated the parts from an array of things (parts of the flame tubes are sives from Target, other parts are the tops of shakers from there too). The main thing he has going for him is he is an excellent welder and machinist. I'll get pics from him of the current one and post them for you.



How do you start it? He uses an air hose and blows air into the compressor until it's spinning along at a good clip then throws the fuel switch and the ignitor... dangerous, but exciting!

 

[rbattelle]

How do you keep the rotational speed down?



-Ryan

 

[NPloysa]

Josh, his engine sounds cool! How did he direct the centrifugal single outlet from the compressor into the turbine? I understand HOW it would work, but not how he made it work on a turbo.



I start mine with a leaf blower with a long, narrow funnel that slips tightly inside the compressor ring. Rule of thumb for most these homemades that use a leaf blower is to achieve 10-15% idle speed. This is because the leaf blower has such a large volume of air coming out. Leaving the blower on for 45 seconds to a minute usually works. 10-15% of idle speed, which idle speed in my propane powered HT3B is probably around 10-15,000 rpm, the leaf blower only need achieve 1000-1500 rpm. Once ignitor is turned on, and fuel introduced, the compressor will spool with the fuel but NOT BY ITSELF. Leaving the leaf blower on makes it start. Actually, once the engine is started, it creates a vacuum against the blower, trying to suck it in. Taking the blower off too soon with result in compressor stalling, and if fuel is not cut off, big bangs happen!



I will have to make a video sometime.



Ryan, I am not sure what RPMs I am running, but max safe RPMS on an HT3B are around 60-70,000. I need to get a digital tachometer. Until then I run it at about half throttle. RPMs are controlled by a ball valve in the propane line, which is spring loaded to close if I were to let go for any reason. Since fuel spins the turbine, and the turbine spins the compressor, and the compressor speed controls how much air is going in to the chamber to burn, it's all related. There is however a point at which you can go too low in fuel, and the engine will die. I have done a few of these, and recovered from the stall, but again, the hot start usually ends with a big bang from the exploding propane. I have seen a few blue flames shoot out 2 feet from my 3 foot long exhaust pipe



Nick

 

[snowracer69]

Josh, his engine sounds cool! How did he direct the centrifugal single outlet from the compressor into the turbine? I understand HOW it would work, but not how he made it work on a turbo.

It's been better than a month since I've seen it, but going off my memory of it, both the compressor housing AND the turbine housing (exhaust of the turbo) had been custom machined to where they had 6 outlets and 6 inlets respectively. It is a reverse flow setup, so the compressed air goes to the far end of the flame tubes and then back through the middle of them where fuel is introduced and ignited.



Working on getting you some pics right now. I'm not sure if he has some already on his computer, so if not I'll borrow a camera and go take pics of it myself!



His first two were propane, but I'm pretty sure this one will be Jet-A. Also, rather than having the ignitors on at all times, he has created a program that uses a distributor cap and a circuit board/chip he made himself to run it... only fires when it needs to and I believe it will self-ignite.



Silly rocket scientists... . Oo.

 

[Mark_Kendrick]

I'd like to see some pics too. I hav the plans for one but is requies electricity to run pumps (oil, fuel, etc. ) I'd like to build one that harnessed the shaft HP to run a piece of equipment while making a superb shop heater

 

[snowracer69]

I'm on the ball today.



Only pic he has of it right now. Obviously it's not finished (the far end of the flame tubes is still open cause the inside isn't done yet). Hard to see the exhaust section, but you can see the one tube leading to it on the closest flame tube... that actually goes inside the flame tube and pics up the fuel/air from the middle on it's return.



#ad

 

[NPloysa]

Chrome and everything! Makes mine look like crap! Good idea, exactly like I had pictured, but man those cans are huge compared to the turbine and compressor wheels!



Mark, there is a Yahoo group called DIY Gas Turbines. Very cool site, message board, tons of ideas. Few guys are actually putting props and a second turbine to drive the ignition and oil pump. My pump and ignition are 110 V but that will change one of these days.



You want a cool shop-waste oil/wood heater? Check this out: http://www.nyethermodynamics.com/nt6/index.html



Nick

 

[Mark_Kendrick]

Chrome and everything! Makes mine look like crap! Good idea, exactly like I had pictured, but man those cans are huge compared to the turbine and compressor wheels!



Mark, there is a Yahoo group called DIY Gas Turbines. Very cool site, message board, tons of ideas. Few guys are actually putting props and a second turbine to drive the ignition and oil pump. My pump and ignition are 110 V but that will change one of these days.



You want a cool shop-waste oil/wood heater? Check this out: http://www.nyethermodynamics.com/nt6/index.html



Nick

Cool projects. Looks like fun.