The micro turbine renewable energy combustor (MiTREC)

About this project

• Staffordshire Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Engineering

Centralised power generation in power plants produces a lot of carbon pollution and energy is lost through transmission. In response to this, MiTREC is a project to develop an innovative biogas fuelled micro-combustor to generate clean, affordable energy for countries across the globe. Mini generators, which can be used at home, improve efficiency by roughly 20% and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.  

We’re working in partnership with Bladon Microturbine Ltd and Cranfield University.

UK company Bladon MT is pioneering micro turbine technology and the project consortium will develop a new biogas-fuelled system based on Bladon MT’s 12 kw recuperated micro-turbine generator architecture.

The MiTREC project has had a total budget of £1.2 million funded through Innovate UK and investment of over £204,000 secured by the University for its role within the project.

Making a difference

Through this work, we’ve identified micro-turbine biogas power generation as the ideal technology to provide decentralised clean, affordable and resilient energy in developing countries such as Sub-Saharan African and South-Asian countries, as well as the UK and internationally.

In Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia there are places where they bury agricultural and household waste and extract the gas to burn for cooking. Some of these communities are off grid but with our system they could use the same gas or even household waste to generate their own electricity.

“It’s a big change – there is no other product like this in the energy market. There are challenges but we believe we can overcome them.” Prof Hamidreza Gohari Darabkhani

Bladon MT

Cranfield University

Innovate UK

• BAZOOYAR, Bahamin and GOHARI DARABKHANI, Hamidreza (2021) The design strategy and testing of an efficient microgas turbine combustor for biogas fuel. Fuel, 294. p. 120535. ISSN 00162361 )
• BAZOOYAR, Bahamin and GOHARI DARABKHANI, Hamidreza (2020) Design, Manufacture and Test of a Micro-Turbine Renewable Energy Combustor. Energy Conversion and Management, 213. ISSN 0196-8904 )