Axes Design was responsible for the overall design of the turbocharger test stand installed at the University of Bath department of Mechanical Engineering . The photo shows the test cell with Axes’ high speed test rig in place during recent testing of our IBT. This system is unusual in that it has the capacity to vary the water content present in the exhaust gas stream thus replicating the thermodynamic properties of the exhaust gas under different operating conditions.
Axes manufactured and commissioned the two electrically powered 45kW heaters seen on the wall. These provide the hot gas for the turbine. The system hea
ters are controlled by the automation via Axes dual duty cycle controllers . The heater are fed compressed air which passes through the heat exchangers seen at high level in the cell. These heat exchangers recover much of the heat energy present in the exhaust gas departing the turbine under test.
Using this method it is possible to si
mulate exhaust gas flows containing > 200kW of heat power using the compact 2 x 45kW heaters.
Exhaust conditions of 800C at >0.7 kg/sec and 4 bar pressure are supported by the design.
The innovative and compact system has significant advantages over those hot gas stands which use combustion of fuel air mixtures to produce hot gas. Benefits include :-
- No explosion risk
- No risk from noxious exhaust gas.
- dynamically and accurate temperature control
- cost effective and efficient
- compact
Axes is able to provide bespoke turbocharger test systems from design to turn-key format . Power ratings far in excess of the illustrated system are practical.