Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology

The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (대한기계학회)
권호 표지

Design, Fabrication, and Testing of a MEMS Microturbine

  • Jeon Byung Sun (Hyundai Motor Company) ;
  • Park Kun Joong (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University) ;
  • Song Seung Jin (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University) ;
  • Joo Young Chang (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University) ;
  • Min Kyoung Doug (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University)
  • Published : 2005.02.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and testing of a microturbine developed at Seoul National University. Here, the term 'microturbine' refers to a radial turbine with a diameter on the order of a centimeter. Such devices can be used to transmit power for various systems. The turbine is designed using a commercial CFD code, and it has a design flow coefficient of 0.238 and work coefficient of 0.542. It has 31 stator blades and 24 rotor blades. A hydrodynamic journal bearing and hydrostatic thrust bearings counteract radial and axial forces on the rotor. The test turbine consists of a stack of five wafers and is fabricated by MEMS technology, using photolithography, DRIE, and bonding processes. The first, second, fourth, and fifth layers contain plumbing, and hydrostatic axial thrust bearings for the turbine. The third wafer contains the turbine's stator, rotor, and hydrodynamic journal bearings. Furthermore, a turbine test facility containing a flow control system and instrumentation has been designed and constructed. In performance tests, a maximum rotation speed of 11,400 rpm and flow rate of 16,000 sccm have been achieved.

Keywords

References

  1. Aichlmayr, H. T., Kittelson, D. B. and Zachariah, M. R., 2002, 'Micro-Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCl) Combustion: Investigations Employing Detailed Chemical Kinetic Modeling and Experiments,' the Western States Section of the Combustion Institute, Spring Technical Meeting, La Jolla, CA, 26
  2. Ayon, A. A., Braff, R., Lin, C. C., Sawin, H. H. and Schmidt, M. A., 1999, 'Characterization of a Time Multiplexed Inductively Coupled Plasma Etcher,' Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 146, No.1, pp. 339-346 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1391611
  3. Barber, R. W. and Emerson, D. R., 2002, 'The Influence of Knudsen Number on the Hydrodynamic Development Length within Parallel Plate Micro-Channels,' WIT Press, Southampton, UK, Advances in Fluid Mechanics IV, pp. 207-2l6
  4. Ehrich, F. F. and Jacobson, S. A., 2001, 'Development of High-Speed Gas Bearings for High-Power-Density Micro-Devices,' ASME Turbo Expo 2001, 2001-GT-0478
  5. Fernandez-Pello, C., Liepmann, D. and Pisano A., 2003, MEMS Rotary Combustion Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley http://www.me.berkeley.edu/mrcl
  6. Frechette, L. F., Nagle, S. F., Ghodssi, R., Umans, S. D., Schmidt, M. A. and Lang, J. H., 2001, 'An Electrostatic Induction Micromotor Supported on Gas-Lubricated Bearings,' IEEE 14th International Micro Electro Mechanical System Conference, MEMS 2001, Interlaken, Switzerland
  7. Gad-el-Hak, M., 1999, 'The Fluid Mechanics of Microdevices-The Freeman Scholar Lecture,' Journal of Fluids Engineering, Vol. 121, pp.5-33 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2822013
  8. Hamrock, B. J., 1994, Fudamentals of Fluid Film Lubrication, McGraw-Hill, Inc., pp. 12-23, and 329-330
  9. Hill, P. G. and Peterson, C. R., 1992, Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion, 2nd Ed., Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Ico., pp. 367-370
  10. Johnston, J. P., Kang, S., Arima, T., Matsunaga, M., Tsuru, H. and Prinz, F. B., 2003, 'Performance of a Micro-Scale Radial-Flow Compressor Impeller Made of Silicon Nitride,' International Gas Turbine Congress 2003 Tokyo, OS-110
  11. Kim, H., Won, C. S., Jeong, S. and Hur, N., 2001, 'Flow Characteristics in a Microchannel Fabricated on a Silicon Wafer,' Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers, B, Vol. 25, No. 12, pp. 1844-l852.(in Korea)
  12. Mehra, A., Zhang, X., Ayon, A. A., Waitz, I. A., Schmidt, M. A. and Spadaccini, C. M., 2000, 'A Six-Wafer Combustion System for a Silicon Micro Gas Turbine Engine,' Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, Vol. 9, No. 4 https://doi.org/10.1109/84.896774
  13. Shirley, G. B., 1998, 'An Experimental Investigation of a Low Renolds Number High Mach Number Centrifugal Compressor,' M. S. dissertation, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  14. Stolarski, T. A., 2000, Tribology in Machine Design, Butterworth Heinemann, pp. 210-212
  15. Tanaka, S., Isomura, K., Kato, T., Sato, F. Oike, M., Genda, T., Ijichi, M., Murayama, M., Nakahash, K., and Esashi, M., 2002, 'Design and Fabrication Challenges for Micromachined Gas Turbine Generators,' the 9th International Symposium on Transport Phenomena and Dynamics of Rotating Machienery, Honolulu, Hawaii