Experimenter's Turbine Launch

March 18, 2003

For many of our club members and associates, this is the moment they've been waiting for -- final pricing and availability of an industrial quality Tesla Turbine Kit.

Over the winter we've worked hard to:

Since we are not manufacturers ourselves, we have looked extensively for a manufacturing "partner" willing to work with us on a low-volume basis to provide the best Tesla turbine kit at the best price. In order to keep prices reasonable, we have to order in lots of 10 (minimum). Since our turbine builders club operates on a nonprofit basis, the only way we can provide this technology to our club members is on a build-to-order basis -- in lots of ten.

Translated, this means that we have to wait until ten club members send in their prepaid orders before our manufacturer will fill the order. So for those of you who are interested in an engine kit, send in your order with a check or money order; as soon as we accumulate ten orders we can begin production. Those who order now can expect shipment in about 90 days -- or around the first week of July.

This month we are going to take a look at an exploded view of the Experimenter's Tesla Turbine with a list of parts (figure 1). As you can see from last month's pictures and this month's exploded view, there are quite a few parts that go into this design. One reason is that it is designed along the lines of Tesla's improved patents -- using a disk mounting flange rather than simply bolting the disks directly to the shaft. We have also integrated a pressurized oiling system into the design -- a first in the world of Tesla turbines.

Figure 1

Some people may find it hard to justify spending close to $1,000 for a Tesla turbine kit, and I would be the first to agree with them if the end goal is simply to satisfy a hobby desire. As we have mentioned in other sections of the Phoenix Turbine Builders Club and in the Global Motive Power Revolution site, we are here to develop real answers to the world's energy needs.

For instance, this winter we've seen more sub-zero days in our area than anyone has ever recollected. When I saw the heating bill for February it just about floored me -- never has our heating bill been that high. One of the reasons is the long cold snap, but the more insidious reason is centralized utility company greed. Since we moved to Michigan's Upper Peninsula about ten years ago, we've seen prices on food, electricity & heat rise 150%. At the same time we've seen wages rise by a mere 10%.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I've concluded that if something doesn't change fast, we're all going to lose the price-wage battle! Since greed knows no end, and government is assisting in the corporate rip-off schemes, we have to take the matter into our own hands and replace centralized utilities on a grass-roots level. 

The way we are going to accomplish this is to provide complete co-generator systems on a global or widespread scale. The Tesla Turbine Kit is just the first component of this complete system. In the coming months our focus will shift from the turbine to our ultra-clean waste oil furnace technology, followed by steam flash boilers, and finally electrical generator systems.

Club members participating in all of these stages will end up with a complete high efficiency cogenerator unit capable of providing both heat and electricity for residential and small shop use. Personally, that means I'll be able to "flip the bird" at the "energy providers" this coming winter.

By delivering heat and power at a zero or near-zero cost, the Phoenix cogenerator will realize an energy cost payback in only three years (or less at escalating prices), while providing an ongoing energy security buffer as oil and gas prices begin to skyrocket and reserves wane.

Experimenter's Tesla Turbine Kit

O.K., so we've convinced you that this is a good technology deal -- what is it going to take to put one of these kits together? The tools I use to build up most of my prototypes are:

1. 12 x 36 lathe (6-inch swing over the ways)
2. drill press
3. bench grinder
4. stick welder (200 amp buzzbox)
5. metal cut-off saw
6. assortment of hand tools (drills, files, etc.)
7. metal vise

Even though the entire engine can be built using hand tools, some of the fitting cuts such as the disk center bores are best done on a lathe.

All of the precision cuts (such as the tapered main shaft and mating tapers in the hot rotor flange and pulley) are performed at the factory -- including the precision bores on the bearing blocks and oil pump housing.

The bulk of the parts come rough from the laser cutter so they require post processing on a lathe, or careful hand filing. Basically we've made the kit easy enough for anyone with engine or car repair skills and access to the above mentioned shop tools to finish the engine in just a couple of weeks of spare time.

Coming Up Next

So what's ahead next month? In order to keep costs down, and to provide more hands-on training for our global audience, we've decided to publish our Tesla Turbine assembly instructions online.

Beginning next month we will start with post processing the bearing and pump blocks, followed by shaft and engine stand assemblies. We'll finish the project with the hot rotor assembly and oiling system by the time the first ten units are ready to ship in July. Beyond that we'll continue with waste oil furnace secrets, and tube boilers by the end of the year.

So now is the time for all of us to begin the process of getting off the grid, cutting our costs by cutting out the centralist utility extortionists, and maybe help the rest of the world do the same. 

Anyone interested in commercializing  any of these technologies can do so by visiting our PNGinc web site at http://phoenixnavigation.com and studying our business programs.

Ken Rieli

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