Compicated Gas turbine MGF

[zardoz]

Went to the classic Car show at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday. I saw this there. It has to be the most complicated home brewed car i have ever seen.


Are gas turbine engines all this complicated ?

What do you guys think ?

 

[KemppiFrog]

That does look complicated.
Turbines are pretty simple devices, just made of fancy materials to a high standard. Rover made a nice 60hp one for fire pumps. Hand started.
Aircraft tech mate showed me a homebuilt two seater he was certifying. Instead of the 160hp 4cyl engine normally fitted, they had installed a 400shp gas turbine. It had none of the gear stuffed into that MG. Biggest bit after the turbine casing was the oil cooler. And it was lighter than the 160hp piston engine.

I remember looking at the Rover/BRM Le Mans car. It had ceramic heat exchangers to improve the economy, they were bigger than the engine.
KF

 

[Normsthename]

Reason it looks complicated is because the car is also electric powered.

http://www.jetpower.co.uk/gtcar_home.htm

Andy

 

[Wallace]

Interesting project, Tax exempt too!

 

[Robotstar5]

Went to the classic Car show at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday.

Hope you didn't get held up by the 24 hour M42 closure link I saw the closed signs but luckily was getting off at J3.

 

[jackjosh]

I remember having to start the Rover Gas Turbines whenever we got into any port to test them, simple as hell and hard work to start (hand start) but what a sound

 

[500e]

The unit between the 2 rings of bolts is the turbine the rest is starting from left, burner, turbine module ,exhaust, gearbox\ancillary components, compressor.
The open flange at bottom is for the starter generator, this was a of site engine removal from a Hughes 500 heli we had to do.

 

[zardoz]

Hope you didn't get held up by the 24 hour M42 closure link I saw the closed signs but luckily was getting off at J3.

We purposefully didnt go on the M42, and only found out about it on traffic announcements, after we had passed it anyway.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Note the battery pack made up of D cells. This is because the patent to produce large capacity Ni-MH battery packs was held by GM & Chevron so stifled development and production.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_encumbrance_of_large_automotive_NiMH_batteries
This patent expires in 2014 and I expect to see massive leaps in electric vehicles. In fact the Chinese have already have a factory set up -
http://www.corunusa.com/industry-ne...-new-energy-company-corun-goes-into-operation

Paul H

 

[Epicyclic]

As I understand it the GT drives an generator that, in turn, produces the power to drive electric motors to make the wheels go around. Basically a GT and generator runs at a set sweet-spot speed that isn't suitable for throttling up and down hence the conversion into electricity.

We make gearboxes to speed up, for example, water turbines and speed down GT's as most large generators run at 1500 (50hz) or 1800 rpm (60hz).

 

[Master-of-none]

This quite old (2006) Link is the build thread for a Beetle with an afterburning jet.
Scroll down for the proposed twin jet scooter.
Oddly, he seems to have made the car and the web page but everything newer about it on the net is just rehash of that page.

 

[zardoz]

The worst thing about these turbine engines(and their rough arsed pulse jet cousins) is they are so bloody LOUD!!

I dont mind things being a bit shouty but good grief.

 

[KemppiFrog]

This quite old (2006) Link is the build thread for a Beetle with an afterburning jet.
Scroll down for the proposed twin jet scooter.
Oddly, he seems to have made the car and the web page but everything newer about it on the net is just rehash of that page.

My younger brother lives in SF and has seen that Beetle a few times, but not with turbine going....
KF

 

[J_K]

Gas turbines just aren't really that practical in a road car.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R2EmW-00d4

 

[rikrobson]

Rover tried this back in the sixties.

There was a program with bernie fineman and Lipu making a copy for Jules Holland. the original is in the science museum

Also i recall a FI racing car in the late sixties early seventies.

problem was no engine braking so the brakes get too hot and fade

 

[Wedg1e]

Rover tried this back in the sixties.

the original is in the science museum

You mean Jet1? Last I heard it was at Gaydon. I once saw it on a trailer on the M40, being pulled by the roughest old Landrover you could imagine!

 

[zx9]

You mean Jet1? Last I heard it was at Gaydon. I once saw it on a trailer on the M40, being pulled by the roughest old Landrover you could imagine!

It or one of them was in the Science Museum a couple of years ago, I think I linked to pictures of it last time it came up in discussion here.

 

[KemppiFrog]

It or one of them was in the Science Museum a couple of years ago, I think I linked to pictures of it last time it came up in discussion here.

I saw Jet 1 in the Science Museum back in the 50s and Lotus tried a turbine in F1, IIRR one of their drivers (Andretti?) told Chapman where to get off after he had stuffed it into a corner. The problem was always the huge lag on the turbine. You had to be hard on the brakes, while keeping the right foot on the throttle to keep the revs up, so power was up for out of the corner. One solution was to dump the gas out of a waste gate on braking, a bit easier on the brakes. Lotus nearly won the Indy 500 with a turbine, just a minor bearing failure let then down.

The Rover/BRM was street legal, Autocar road tested it way back. Just had a problem finding taxed paraffin for road use. Apparently there were a couple of pumps in London. The lack of engine braking + the turbine lag made for an interesting test.
KF

 

[Wedg1e]

It or one of them was in the Science Museum a couple of years ago, I think I linked to pictures of it last time it came up in discussion here.

Hmmm, maybe when I saw it it had been up to Gaydon for an event or maybe, as you say, there's more than one. I'm sure I saw pics of it on display at Gaydon though.

You would think that a small turbine, run at constant speed turning an alternator, would be able to provide juice for some electric motors.
I guess it doesn't do anything better than a reciprocating engine though; once you add in the noise and heat issues you then have to use up space countering those...

 

[mylesdw]

I remember seeing the turbine F1 car at the British GP Silverstone 1971. The most notable thing was that it was SO quiet compared with those screaming Cosworths.