Micro-heat engines, gas turbines, and rocket engines the met microengine project

This is a report on work in progress on microelectrical and mechanical systems (MEMS)-based gas turbine engines, turbogenerators, and rocket engines currently under development at MIT. Fabricated in large numbers in parallel using semiconductor manufacturing techniques, these engines are based on micro-high speed rotating machinery with the same power density as that achieved in their more familiar, full-sized brethren. The micro-gas turbine is designed as a 1 cm diameter by 3 mm thick SiC heat engine producing 10-20 W of electric power or 0.05- 0.1 N of thrust while consuming under 10 grams/hr of H₂. Later versions may produce up to 100 W using hydrocarbon fuels. A liquid fuel, bi-propellant rocket motor of similar size could develop over 3 Ib of thrust. The rocket motor would be complete with turbopumps and control valves on the same chip. A key conclusion from the analytical and experimental work to date is that micro- heat engines of this sort do appear feasible. These devices may enable new concepts in propulsion, fluid control, and portable power generation.