Investigating the impact of fluid gas temperature on a Tesla turbine has recently gained momentum. An example of this isrecovering the energy available in the gas turbine exhaust gas. Tesla turbines, also known as bladeless or boundary turbines were invented in the early 20th century but are rarely used. Bladeless turbines are known for their ease of construction and low erosion rate, since the rotating parts experience no direct impact from the exhaust gas. Methodology; A software package was used tocarry out the CFD simulations. The effect of fluid gas temperature and mass flow rate across the turbine were investigated Results; were tabulated and graphs generated. Equations were derived using an industry established software tool. The accuracy of thedeveloped equations was assessed on statistical basis. Discussions on advantages and disadvantages in using such a turbine were included. Conclusion; the CFD analysis have shown thatthe fluid gas temperature can affect the efficiency of Tesla turbines. This is due to thefact that the performance of a Tesla turbine is influenced by the boundary layer thickness which is at a maximum when the inter disk spacing equals the boundary layer thickness.Using such a system for energy recovery can lower capital equipment costs and improve the turbine lifespan. Contributing to sustainable engineering development. k-omega turbulence model theory was found tobe suitable model for carrying out this CFD analysis.

Full text: IJEIR_1214_Final.pdf