Perpustakaan Digital ITB
A currently popular technology that is applicable for intermediate and
low-temperature energy sources is the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). One of the
main components of ORC systems is the expander. Tesla turbine is a type of
expander that typically offers better reliability. However, it offers lower
efficiency and power output than other commercial ORC expanders. One of the
most recent research into the Tesla turbine is a power and efficiency optimization
of a new design of Tesla turbine. Their study uses a relatively simple Engineering
Equation Solver (EES). To prove the efficiency and power generation claims of
that research, a more robust Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is
conducted in this study.
The methodology of this research consists of model generation and setup,
computation, validation, and analysis of the simulation results. The validation
process includes a residual convergence assessment, conservation checks, and
variable of interests monitoring. The validation process continues with a check
on the validity of the turbulence model by monitoring dimensionless wall
distance value and Mach number at the throat section.
CFD simulation result shows that the optimized turbine generates 47.827
W of power with an efficiency of 50.95%, which is lower than 54 W and 61%,
from the solutions from the EES study. This study also confirms that most of the
assumptions used in the EES study accurately describe the flow inside the Tesla
turbine.