Microturbines have been developed as a candidate for distributed energy and combined heat and power. A 100 kW grade test facility of micro Humid Air Turbine (mHAT) cycle was converted from a commercial recuperated microturbine. The thermodynamic and emission performances of three mHAT concepts were experimentally evaluated at nominal rated output power. The impacts of the aftercooler and part-flow humidification strategy were also discussed. Comparing to the original recuperated microturbine, the specific output power and the electrical efficiency of mHAT increase 23% and 18.9% respectively. Introducing the aftercooler into the mHAT (mHAT(+)) can improve the specific output power to the maximum value of 31.6%. The part-flow humidification strategy can further improve the electrical efficiency to the maximal value of 22.2% at the split ratio is equal to 0.48 in the experiment range. The minimal NOx emission in tested five cycles decreases 36.8%, but corresponding combustion efficiency shows a 2.2% reduction. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.