Turbo charge your future with micro turbines from MTT
“Turbine” evokes memories of loud smelly airplane engines, but what if those engines were scaled down for smaller uses outside the airline industry? Well one company Micro Turbine Technology(MTT) is working on turbine engines for homes, businesses, cars and trucks.
Micro Turbine Technology, located in the Netherlands has plans to create micro turbines for use in homes, small businesses, long distance trucks, and extended range electric vehicles. The micro turbines that the company is working on will be cheaper and more efficient than the current alternatives. The micro CHP (combined heat power) systems being developed by MTT would be used to provide on demand hot water and heat for homes and small businesses. The system would produce 3Kw of energy and 15Kw of heat. Using this micro turbine system would lower electricity bills by 20 – 25 percent and CO2 emissions by 3-6 tons per year.
Using a MTT Micro CAP(combined APU/parking heater) unit in long distance trucks would mean reducing the amount of fuel, noise, vibration and emissions generated when trucks are run all night. Truckers run their engines all night in order to regenerate the truck battery and provide heat for the cabin. Reducing noise and emissions would certainly be welcomed by truck drivers who spend 24 hour days exposed to truck pollution and noise.
Micro turbine technology is also being explored as a less expensive, cleaner, lighter engine to recharge the battery in extended range electric vehicles. Currently internal combustion engines are primarily used for this purpose. Unfortunately, the engines used today weigh a considerable amount adding to the weight of such extended range cars like the Chevy Volt. Reducing the size and weight of what is essentially an auxiliary engine will increase the range of the cars as well as provide space for other components or storage.
MTT is also working on a new kind of micro turbine engine that would be even lighter. cheaper and more powerful. It is a rotating combustor concept that replaces stator vanes and the diffuser with “a single rotor including a centrifugal compressor, a rotating combustion chamber and reaction turbine.” The concept will be cheaper and quieter than the regular Micro CHP design. This won’t be available for several years because kinks are still being worked out of the system. Once this system is ready for the market, it will be easier and less expensive to mass produce.
Micro turbines can be powered by natural gas, diesel, heating oil, biodiesel or ethanol making them very versatile. You can change your fuel according to the current price of each fuel type.
MTT is still developing all of its micro turbine technology and its possibilities. Just think your future home and car might be turbocharged.
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