Tesla Turbine Engine

Project Outline

During my time at Synergy Medical Technologies, I was involved with the designing, 3D printing, assembling, and testing of a Tesla turbine engine. The objective was to develop a highly efficient method of accelerating a rotating shaft using a single nitrous oxide canister.

Below shows an initial concept where air was accelerated and reintroduced to the starting pointing. The valves could be closed once the initial air flow was cut off, and the engine would be self supplying for a period of time.‍

The concept proved partially successful but did not maintain operation for as long as desired. Performance was improved by modifying the design from a dual-axis system to a single-axis configuration, allowing the full force of propulsion to be directed onto one shaft, effectively doubling its efficiency.

‍The revised design showed promising potential but still required further optimization for efficiency. Unfortunately, the project was cut short when its original purpose became obsolete. To ensure the time and resources invested were not wasted, the project was repurposed into a six-week paid tutorial program for engineering students. The course focused on teaching the fundamentals of SolidWorks while guiding students through the process of designing and building their own miniature Tesla turbine engine. A model of the scaled-down turbine built by students as part of the program is shown below.