Designed, fabricated, simulated, and tested an electrically compressed miniature jet engine combining a custom centrifugal compressor, tandem-vane diffuser, annular combustor, propane fuel system, and spark ignition. The prototype produced 1.33 kgf of peak thrust during testing.
Type
Independent Engineering Project
Year
2026
Duration
May-Sept 2026
Role
Mechanical design, fabrication, assembly, simulation, and testing
Tools
Onshape, ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS Mechanical
Materials
304 stainless steel, copper tubing, JCP3DP 9600 resin, standard electrical and fuel-system components
Status
Prototype tested — second revision in development
Complete engine architecture modeled in Onshape.
01 / 06
System Architecture
I set out to design a functioning miniature combustion jet from first principles while improving thrust over the original electric compressor alone. The system combines an electrically driven centrifugal compressor, tandem-vane diffuser, annular combustion chamber, propane delivery system, spark ignition, and converging exhaust into one compact assembly.
Slide 1 of 6: System Architecture
Result
Achieved 1.33 kgf peak thrust, approximately 73% above the electric-compressor baseline, before a rotor-clearance failure ended testing.