SinkScience #02 - Tesla CD Turbine and Magnetic SuperStirrer

[homskoult]

Am I mistaken, or are you using magnets between the disks, and magnets below the water container to spin the disks. I'm not trying to be difficult, just trying to understand. The mass of the magnets between the disks appear to be causing the effect. Have you tried using a sheet of magnetic material, like a large refer magnet, so the bulk of the magnets were removed from the equation.I'm interested because of need for small solar powered steam turbine application. Thank-You for your patience.

[MrfixitRick]

@homskoult

The six magnets between each set of discs are arranged in repel mode (north up) with the 6 magnets of the stirrer (north down). That causes less "sticking" than attract mode.

A fridge magnet sheet wont work, as it will not rotate.

For more info, see my Instructables site where I have the build info for several Tesla CD Turbines. (link is in the "Show more..." window under the video.)

[homskoult]

Messy? Its just water, and science of course. Just rearrange the magnets to act as blades.

[MrfixitRick]

@homskoult

I don't do normal turbines. I work with Tesla's idea of using friction, instead of working against it. Tesla used the principle of adhesion of fluid to a surface, which is a completely different idea than deflecting fluid as in a bladed turbine.

[homskoult]

Why not have the blades pull water from outer edge to center. then the water would shoot straight up.

[MrfixitRick]

@homskoult

The Tesla Turbine and Tesla Pump have no blades or cups, just smooth discs, and that is what I was demonstrating. (however, yours is an interesting idea, though it might get messy! ;)

[xhcy004]

不明白，你们这么多人做出个水漩涡效果来做什么用？水漩涡有什么­用处呢？

Do not understand, so many of you do to make a water vortex effects what is the use? What is the use of water swirl it?

[MrfixitRick]

@xhcy004

This is a demonstration of the Tesla Turbine and the Tesla Disc Pump (see Tesla Turbine in wikipedia), which is used here to create a vortex.

In this case, the Tesla Pump discs are magnetically coupled to a magnetic Tesla Turbine below the bowl.

As for the vortex, I simply find them fun to watch!

See my giant Tesla Tornado Christmas Tree videos as a bigger example.

[MrfixitRick]

@xhcy004

这是一个特斯拉涡轮泵和特斯拉光盘（见汽轮机百科特斯拉），它是­用在这里创建一个漩涡示范。

在这种情况下，特斯拉磁光盘泵磁力耦合特斯拉汽轮机低于碗。

至于旋涡，我只是觉得他们让人赏心悦目！

认为这是一个更大的比如我的巨人特斯拉龙卷风圣诞树上的影片。

[yakacm]

I have two words fro you and they are poached eggs, all you need is a heat source, crack an egg in and you have spot on poached eggs. Joking aside, here in the UK quite a lot of house holds have unmetered water, IE you just have a flat rate despite how much water you use, so if you had a big enough generator you could run your house offa it, and the water company would be paying your energy bills, assuming that they have used electricity to pump it,

[MrfixitRick]

@yakacm The problem is that you can only get so much power out of a faucet...a few watts at best. You could perhaps save 1 to 2 cents a day in electricity, if you ran the water full time. A sturdy turbine will cost at least $100 to make. Do the math, as they say, and it doesn't pay off. Fun factor is big, however!

[gioperc]

cool : D

[panos5121981]

I guess i can understand how all this works....What i can't understand is where it can be used and how. You are using pressurized air to set it in movement,so you have consumed energy to mobilize it.Correct?Does it give you something back?

[MrfixitRick]

There is no compressed air used in this experiment. It does consume energy to run the turbine, and in this case, it uses faucet water pressure to power it.

The energy to run the turbine is obtained from the faucet. The turbine outlet water can be used to fill a sink, or water a garden, so I consider it "free energy" to run it.

In later experiments, I use a recirculating bucket system with a 12 volt pump and a battery charged by solar power. No extra water or grid power is used in that case.

[gtq838]

@panos5121981 its a cd cleaner, lol!

[Muicelo]

I still don't get the idea of this turbine, what makes it "tesla"

And is it anything more than a normal turbine with just magnets to attach something to it?

[MrfixitRick]

Nikola Tesla invented the disc turbine, and considered it his greatest invention. He believed it would "scrap all of the heat engines of the world". (see wikipedia under "tesla turbine")

The Tesla design is special because it has no cups or blades, and relies on adhesion of fluid to provide the force to turn the discs.

My modification is to add the magnets as a drive and electric power system, which eliminates several parts of the Tesla Turbine, including the shaft, bearings and shaft seals.

[etruscopdb]

stupicilliota

[MrfixitRick]

Poor fellow must be muttering to himself...

[twylightsky2007]

very nice I can't wait to show a buddy that doesn't understand how this works.

[Bobensen]

I have something similer but Instead I used a computer fan to spin a hard drive magnet.

Ill make a turbine next...

[MrfixitRick]

I liked your entertaining video. Good luck with turbine making...e-mail if you have questions!

[iWaNNaCo0kiE]

what going on in the bottom half???

[MrfixitRick]

The bottom is my SinkScience Tesla CD Turbine. It's a turbine made from CD discs and neodymium magnets, with a nozzle hot-glued onto the side of the CD Case. It's running on faucet water pressure.

It's based on the Tesla disc turbine design, except for the magnets which I use to drive and spin things.

[iWaNNaCo0kiE]

oh and that turn the magnets attached to the discs on the top rite?

[MrfixitRick]

You got it! And the magnets are in repel instead of attract because it works better that way.

[iWaNNaCo0kiE]

and the specs of the turbine. do the cd's have a bearing at the bottom and if so how did u attach. and if possible can u give the specs of the turbine. THANKS

[MrfixitRick]

No bearings in my turbines...that's one thing that makes them special. (Also, no shaft and no shaft seals!)

Many folks think the turbine needs a bottom bearing. However, as I was just experimenting with this, it is evident that the magnetic disc pack (in the CD case) levitates off the bottom when running.

In fact, with my latest turbine, I can blow into it with lung pressure, and the relatively heavy magnetic 7-disc pack will lift right off the bottom!

Check "more info" for building info.>>

[Dzakovich000]

I bet if Tesla had a party, he'd use this for his punch bowls.

[MrfixitRick]

hahahaha...good visual! By the way, I do have a Punch Bowl SuperStirrer video that is similar to this one, but more adult-oriented, that you can find at my YouTube/MrfixitRick.

[Dzakovich000]

Oh cool! Tesla must have really known how to spend a Saturday night if he used three bottles of Smirnoff.

[graigsmith]

pretty cool lol.

[MrfixitRick]

hehe, you bet! CD Turbine the little kitchen helper. Batter might bog it down, but I will try it with eggs to see if it can whip up an omelette!

[boxa888]

oh that will be awesome hahaha. tesla is the greatest scientist of all time. like everything u look at was created by him even computer tech with electronic gates..

[apacthegreat]

good for making cakes?

[Dzakovich000]

An oven might be better lol.

[MrfixitRick]

Yes, but the magnets are a little crunchy.