Redacted JandA MAHLE.pdf

Control No: JA-22-Adel-243 Contractor : MAHLE Powertrain LLLC

Supply/Service: Design and Development Project communications with experts in academia, industry and other government agencies via phone calls and emails around the world to identify novel ignition technologies that can be used for a small compact multi-fuel engine. During market research, the Government corresponded with the following prospective contractors:

MAHLE Powertrain LLC (https://www.mahle-powertrain.com/) Orbital UAV (Australia) (https://orbitaluav.com/) Cosworth (UK) (https://www.cosworth.com/) (visited for onsite meeting) Achates Power (https://achatespower.com/) (visited for onsite meeting) Northwest UAV (https://www.nwuav.com/)

The MAHLE’s turbulent jet ignition technology uses flame and radicals that are generated in a prechamber, to burn the majority of fuel-air mixture in the main chamber.

The fuel-air mixture in the main chamber experiences flame and radical; thus, it is insensitive to fuel properties. MAHLE demonstrated this technology in larger engines. It is deemed that this technology can be applied in smaller engines as well.

Below documents the determinations on the other identified sources that were determined not capable of meeting the government’s requirements:

Orbital UAV’s air blast fuel injection system can increase fuel atomization by blasting with air into a fuel stream, but it cannot burn a wide range of fuel properties, especially fuels with a cetane number below 40 using a spark plug. With a use of heavy fuel with cetane number above 40, this technology exhibited premature spark plug failures and in-efficient combustion as presented by heavy smoke in the exhaust pipe at the ARL’s experimentation.

Cosworth’s engine is designed to run on heavy fuel but for a cetane number above 40, which does not meet the Government’s requirement of a range of 15-50+. Furthermore, Cosworth’s engine burning of heavy fuel is not efficient, as evidenced by large quantity of smoke in the exhaust pipe.

Achates Power’s weight and design configuration are not fitted to the configuration of the future tactical unmanned aircraft system. The government determined that the power density and the engine cannot fit in the airframe for the FTUAS size engies for the government’s research. This engine design is not optimized for weight reduction that is critical for aircraft applications. Furthermore, its connecting rods that are connected to the pistons on both sides make it difficult to integrate in a FTUAS size aircraft in which the available space is limited.

Northwest’s UAV claims that their engines are multi-fuel engines without describing specific technologies that enable the multi-fuel operation. Their multi-fuel engines’ fuel consumption is 0.65 to 0.75 lb/hp-hr which is 63 to 89% higher than the Government’s requirement of a max 0.4 lb/hp-hr (the lower the better for fuel consumption) which does not meet the Government’s requirement. This engine uses a standard heavy fuel with a cetane number over 40. For cetane number below 40, this engine does not have any ignition concept to enable reliable operation, which does not meet the Government’s requirement.