Design and Preliminary Development of an Engine for Small Unmanned Air Vehicles

Abstract

This report describes a program of work aimed at demonstrating the advantages of the opposed piston two stroke engine for use in small, propeller- driven, unmanned air vehicles requiring power of about 10 to 20 kW. Analysis of the requirements for engines for this duty showed the opposed piston configuration as offering the best compromise in terms of specific output, specific fuel consumption, level of vibration and complexity. Initial feasibility was demonstrated using a small engine of 67mL swept volume. The major part of the development, including selection and development of a scavenge air compressor, was carried out using an engine of 225 mL swept volume. The maximum power obtained was 18.9 kW (25HP) at 7500 rpm and the engine is considered to have potential for considerable further development.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA232041

Entities

People

  • B. G. Catchpole

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Compressors
  • Aircrafts
  • Combustion
  • Combustion Chambers
  • Data Acquisition
  • Diesel Engines
  • Exhaust Systems
  • Flow Rate
  • Fuel Consumption
  • Heat Transfer
  • Ignition
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Performance Tests
  • Piston Engines
  • Turbines
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy