Innovative Gas Turbine Engine Architecture
Tech ID: 21-035
Inventors: Dr. John Fagan, Dr. Joshua Cameron, Dr. Scott Morris
Date added: March 27, 2021
Overview
A novel gas turbine engine architecture for significant fuel burn, weight, and cost reduction.
Technology Summary
Gas turbines are widely used for propulsion mobility applications, including flight, ground, and marine vehicles, as well as for land-based power generation. Conventional gas turbines engines ingest air from the atmosphere which is compressed, heated through fuel-added combustion, and expanded to produce power. Key considerations when selecting an engine include system efficiency/fuel burn rate, weight, cost, reliability, and emissions. Due to the broad usage of gas turbine engines, the market is continually investing in new technologies to deliver improvements of these critical attributes.
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have recently developed an innovative gas turbine cycle architecture particularly applicable for propulsion mobility applications. This engine architecture integrates a closed-loop power and thermal management cycle in an innovative manner that radically changes the engine configuration and system efficiency. A significant benefit of this architecture is the elimination of the complex shafting characteristic of conventional gas turbine engines allowing novel packaging. The architecture also provides higher cycle thermodynamic efficiency and improved power to weight. This innovation is a disruptive change that provides significant benefit and supports the ongoing evolution of the mobility and power generation industries.
Market Advantages
• Cost Savings: 30% less cost to the manufacturer
• Fuel Efficiency: 10% more fuel efficient
• Weight Savings: 40% lighter
Market Opportunity
• Aircraft Engine Industry - $80B Market, 11.3% CAGR
• Industrial & Marine Gas Turbine Industry - $11B Market, 5.4% CAGR
Technology Readiness Status
TRL 2 – Technology Concept Formulated
Contact
Richard Cox
rcox4@nd.edu
574.631.5158