A Gas Turbine-Based Hybrid Vehicle—Part II: Technological and Configuration Issues

Abstract

A hybrid propulsion system for a passenger car is described and its preliminary design and performance discussed. A gas turbine operating in a controlled on-off mode, a generator, a battery pack, an inverter, and an electric motor constitute the power system, with an electronic vehicle management unit supervising the system for control and regulation. Road simulation tests are presented, based on standard ECC driving mission cycles. The turbogas performance might be improved adopting ceramic blades, with a possible increase of the TIT (turbine inlet temperature), and a consequent increase of its efficiency. The paper reports on the first results of a study in progress, within a joint research program between the University of Roma 1 “La Sapienza” and the Italian Research Centre of ENEA-Casaccia.