Wave rotors are a key technology to enable significantly increased gas turbine peak temperatures. Higher specific power results, providing a more compact unit with the additional benefit of increased efficiency. These benefits are realized especially for small gas turbines since self-cooling is a fundamental feature of the cycle. Self-cooling is especially applicable to the improvement of auxiliary power units (APU's) and small turboshaft engines. Because the expansion and compression processes occur on the same rotor, part count and engine complexity is reduced. The objective of the proposed research is to determine the requirements for upgrading an existing wave turbine and, in Phase II, fabricate and test the resulting upgrades. The primary goal is to design for improved start-up operation, addressing an important issue in wave rotor engines. This wave turbine, the only known operating engine of its class, was recently resurrected, meticulously characterized, and partially tested to determine problems, limitations, and requirements for continued research. The proposed approach will minimize the time and cost of developing this timely technology for improving the APU's specific power, efficiency, and simplicity. The upgraded demonstration unit will serve as a research test platform and an engine demonstration to encourage commercialization by engine manufacturers.
