Impulse Turbine Brake
Occasionally the need of a piece of improved laboratory test equipment arises. That was the case of the torque brake used in laboratory testing of the impulse turbine. Existing problems were numerous and varied. They included over heating, coolant spillage, necessity of manual coolant application, difficulty of taking readings, and overall unwieldiness of the setup. These detracted from the educational experience that the equipment was supposed to provide.
Basically the brake was improved by use of a pneumatically actuated disc brake. It has exceptional resolution with an appropriate regulator installed and low coefficient linings. The thermal operation of the chosen brake is good since it was designed for continuous operation. This unit has been in opration for several years and has served well.