A 60-kW Microturbine Demonstration Facility Phase II: Instrumentation, Website Development, and Evaluation

The second phase of a joint project between the Milwaukee School of Engineering, the City of Milwaukee, WE Energies, and Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy to develop a 60-kW microturbine demonstration facility is described. In Phase I the facility was designed, constructed, and commissioned. A multidisciplinary team of students and faculty (ME and EE) continues work on the project in this second phase. Coordination among the various stakeholders is crucial to the success of the project. Instrumentation has been acquired, installed, and calibrated. A grid connection agreement with the local utility, WE Energies, has been achieved. Milwaukee School of Engineering personnel interface with City of Milwaukee engineers concerning dispatch of the unit. During the heating season, the unit has been dispatched on thermal demand, and the economics of this mode of dispatch have been evaluated. Website development has continued: all instrument readings are accessible on the Website, and equations necessary for a First and Second Law analysis have been proofed and placed on the Website. Use of the facility as an offsite laboratory for the Milwaukee School of Engineering has begun. An important aspect of this second phase has been the handoff of the project from one team of students to the next. Information transfer has been smooth, and continuity has been maintained. The experiences of the students in working through this phase of the project are described.