Abstract:The aerodynamic performance, structural strength, and wheel weight are three important factors in the design process of the radial turbine for micro gas turbines. This study presents the experimental validation process of this integrated optimization design method by using the similarity theory. Cold modeling tests and investigations into the aerodynamic characteristics were performed. Experimental results showed that the aerodynamic efficiency of the micro radial turbine is 84.3% at the design point while also satisfying the aerodynamic and strength requirements. Meanwhile, the total weight of the turbine wheel is 3.8 kg which has only a 52.8% mass of the original design. This indicates that the radial turbine designed through this technique has a high aerodynamic performance, and thus can be applied to micro gas turbines. The results validated that this integrated optimization design method is reliable.