An Analytical and Experimental Investigation of Multiple-Disk Turbines

Abstract

An unconventional type of turbomachinery employing a rotor composed of smooth disks is described and the history and motive principle of such devices are briefly discussed. Several experimental multiple-disk air turbines are described and data showing the performance and efficiency of the turbines are presented. A mathematical model of a multiple-disk turbine is described. The equations of motion are written for the flow of an incompressible fluid between the disks, and parameters describing the efficiency and performance of the turbine, in the absence of losses external to the rotor, are derived. The solution for the equation of motion and the performance parameters, obtained by computation with an IBM 704, are summarized, discussed, and referenced. The results indicate that multiple-disk turbines may be attractive in the low-power part of the turbine spectrum, or where first cost is a prime factor, or where the properties of the working fluid cause conventional turbines to be inadequate.