Author Topic: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build  (Read 930925 times)

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Offline Mobacken Racing

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APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« on: March 24, 2013, 04:19:01 PM »
Hi!

With the bike finally standing on its wheels I felt like it was a good time to start a thread here and introduce myself. Anders Johansson is my name, 31 years old and live in the northern parts of Sweden. I work as a mechanic at a combined power and heating plant and have been building all sorts of jet engines for the last 12 years.



For three years I have been building a gas turbine powered land speed bike from scratch, the engine is based around a Garrett TV94 core and everything else is either home cast or milled from blocks of aluminum on my manual lathe and mill.



The engine before the first test run.



The hot parts are made from SS304, SS316 and mild steel coated with cheramics. The engine once in its turboshaft configuration is calculated to deliver around 150hp on the rear tyre, even more if I dare to run it hot enough.



I spent a year testing and improving the engine and after the fourth rebuild it seems to work like it should, earlier I had problems with oil leakage and tight tolerances but during the last run I ran it for a minute at 100% without any problems other than a high oil temp which I will solve with a larger capacity and an oil cooler.

The first test, dressed for the occation and bloody nervous.  :-D

http://youtu.be/3Gd_H8ClmHw

The fifth test, lots of thrust since it almost tipped the test bench over.

http://youtu.be/gLYInPTrdaU

With the gas producer sorted out I started to build the chromemoly frame, a frame jig was built and a set of GSXR 750 wheels and forks was sourced.



At the same time I designed and built the power turbine section, it is based around an RR Allison C20 4th stage turbine wheel with a home built NGV section in SS304.



The C20 turbine wheel in its housing.



Making the NGV.





A mock up of the engine with an 5:1 angle drive gearbox in the bike frame.



Rebuilding the gearbox to fit the freepower section.



Fitting the parts together.



With the engine finally in one piece I built the frame around it.



With the frame taken out of the jig I could take it outside for a photo session.





Intake air box and underhang oil and fuel tanks built.



Fitting the pumps and regulators to the bike.



This is what the bike looks like now, I hope to have it ready for its first race in a year from now at the swedish Speed Weekend on Ice.



The goal is to take it to Bonneville some day and try for the record in the APS Omega class, the electric guys are bloody fast but I know I can do it!  :-)

Cheers!
/Anders
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 06:20:58 PM by Seldom Seen Slim »

Offline Elmo Rodge

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2013, 05:09:33 PM »
I like the way the Salt is sticking to the tires in the "outside" photos.  :wink: Really though, that is an impressive looking build. Wayno

Offline lsrjunkie

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #2 on: March 24, 2013, 05:13:50 PM »
Absolutely unbelievable! I thought I knew a few things, but wow!! Excellent project! Welcome to the forum Anders. Can't wait to see this thing progress. I'll be watching this build!  :cheers:
Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish. The product of a demented hill billy who has found a way to live out where the winds blow. To sleep late, have fun, drink whiskey, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love or getting arrested.    H.S. Thompson

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2013, 05:29:30 PM »
Thank you very much, since I am new to land speed racing on wheels (some friends and I have been fooling around with jet powered kick sleds at the swedish ice event for a couple of years) I would appreciate every constructive comment about aerodynamics and things to think about while building a bike frame.

I wouldn´t want to do a "Munroe" and travel all the way to the salt flats only to be turned down by the safety crew for some reason I didn´t even know about... :|


Offline Peter Jack

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2013, 05:32:05 PM »
Fascinating build Anders with some great looking craftsmanship. Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing the finished product.  :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Pete

Offline maj

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2013, 05:32:51 PM »
All i can say is WOW
handcrafting turbine parts  :cheers:

what rpm does it run at and how well will the 5:1 cope

from my experiance on salt i would say be carefull of putting too much weight too low
look at the weight positioning of a std motorcycle in relation to axle line
i have turned a great handling bike to a poor handling bike with the addition of some weight down low

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #6 on: March 24, 2013, 05:55:25 PM »
Thanks guys! :-)

The gas producer max is 66.000rpm and the freepower turbine slightly above 30.000, so with a 5:1 reduction I will have 6.000rpm at the front chain drive sprocket which will be fitted to the gearbox output shaft.



The input shaft will get cheramic bearings to cope with the revs, I will also convert the gearbox to dry sump with oil jets pointing at the gear mesh and bearings to force oil in where it is needed. It should survive. :-)

Interesting info about the weight distribution, I imagined that the lower the CoG was the better the bike handled while driving in a straight line. Fortunately the battery and gearbox are the heaviest parts and they are placed relatively centred in the bike.

If anyone is interested in more pics and info about the build you can check out my build thread at the Jet and Turbine Owners forum, the thread is 81 pages long and counting so you are up for a long night. :-D



http://www.jetandturbineowners.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=diygeneral&action=display&thread=53
« Last Edit: March 24, 2013, 05:58:57 PM by Mobacken Racing »

Offline donpearsall

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #7 on: March 24, 2013, 11:34:20 PM »
You are doing an excellent job Anders! I am in awe that you could hand-build a tubine engine. Good luck to you. It has always been my ambition to build a turbine bike - but I just need to win the lottery. There is no way I could actually build an engine like you are doing. You deserve a trophy just for showing up with a running bike!

I hope you do make it to Bonneville. Keep on posting and keep us updated.

Don

550 hp 2003 Suzuki Hayabusa Land Speed Racer

Offline Frank06

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2013, 09:15:44 AM »
Very interesting Anders.  What is the fuel?  Also (so I don't have to read the entire thread on the other forum!) what is the purpose of the air bottle?  Will a clutch be needed or will friction brakes keep the turbine section from spooling up too quickly?

thanks,
Frank
E-Racer

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2013, 10:10:00 AM »
Thanks!  :-)

I will run the engine on kerosine but diesel works as well. Even bio-diesel should work if I want to impress some enviroment-friendly people. It runs best on kero so I will use Jet-A1 for now.

The air bottle is for starting, I use a 200bar scuba bottle for impingment starting with an air nozzle pointing at the turbine wheel. I tried to use a 1kW brushless motor but the axial bearing has so much drag that it couldn´t get up to starting revs.

No clutch or friction brakes, everything from the power turbine wheel to the rear wheel is directly coupled. The turboshaft engine can run with the output shaft locked since the power turbine is thrust driven and not mechanically coupled to the main rotor.

Offline fordboy628

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2013, 11:41:10 AM »
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!              On everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Fabricating, machining, welding, engineering, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 :cheers:
Fordboy

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Offline Dynoroom

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #11 on: March 25, 2013, 12:36:14 PM »
Superb Build! Love that you converted a turbocharger into a turbine engine (you did right?). Looking forward to seeing it.

One other word........ (Containment)

With a project of this nature you should consider some type of failure containment as the cast iron turbine housing does in the standard turbo.
Michael LeFevers
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Offline sabat

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #12 on: March 25, 2013, 02:20:22 PM »
I am humbled by your fantastic fabrication and technical skills, best of luck on the ice, and I hope to see you on the salt someday. -Dean

Offline bbarn

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #13 on: March 25, 2013, 04:02:06 PM »
  WOW! I would like to hang out with you at your shop...looks like piles of fun!!!

Keep posting your progress, I know I am not alone in saying this is the kind of stuff most people in this forum dig. Great looking build, it will be fun to watch this happen.
I almost never wake up cranky, I usually just let her sleep in.

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2013, 07:17:37 PM »
Thanks a lot guys for your praise, I didn´t at all expect this kind of response when I decided to post the build here. More like "are you seriously going to drag THAT thing over here?!?" :-D

Regarding containment, the first thing that will burst in case of a severe overspeed event is the compressor wheel and it is surrounded by aprox. 50mm of more or less solid aluminum. The turbine wheel has a ring of stainless stator vanes around it with two thick steel discs holding them together so I think I am on the safe side.

I use a PWM controller to throttle the fuel pump and as an extra safety I will add a fuel pressure regulator set at the full throttle flow so it should be impossible to give the engine enough fuel to over-rev.

Cheers!
/Anders