1906.  This was probably Tesla's last "sane" project before he wandered off forever down the paths of crankdom.  It's a high-speed bladeless turbine that consisted of a series of smooth disks which were turned by what is known today as a boundary-layer effect that relied on the viscosity of a flowing gas or liquid rather than striking blades.  It was a neat little idea and showed a great deal of promise, but Tesla treated it much like he did his teleautomation; it wasn't just a clever invention, it was a revolution. 

Tesla touted his turbine as a powerhouse in a hat.  He talked gleefully as replacing all other motors and engines as the prime mover of civilisaton.  He claimed that it was 97% efficient, that it could run off of any fuel, and was streets ahead of anything previous.  In fact, tests showed that its efficiency was only 41%; impressive, but not a quantum leap.  Also, the high speeds that the turbine needed to turn at were too great for the disks, which distorted quickly at running speed; it didn't scale very easily; and it performed poorly under load.  Even today, when Tesla's turbine is used in commercial pumps, the problem of materials for the power-generating version has never been overcome.  But that didn't keep Tesla from declaring that one day his turbine would find its way into power stations, ships, aeroplanes, airships, automobiles, and death rays.  Indeed, he even played about with sketching his turbine motor car, which he claimed would be so efficient that it could drive clear across the United States on a single tank of petrol.

Despite approaching Henry Ford with his wondrous invention, the Tesla turbine motor car never got off the sketch pad, but his turbine did end up in cars later on; as a speedometer.

The Tesla Turbine Car

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