A Fast-Response, Electronically Controlled Fuel Injection System for Small Heavy Fuel Engines with Multi-Fuel Capabilities

Advances in electronically controlled injection technologies for diesel engines have provided a method to improve medium- to heavy-duty engine performance through increased injection pressures, multiple injections, and injection rate shaping. Although these injection systems have been primarily limited to larger engines, the ability to rapidly and precisely meter fuel for smaller engines is particularly important for small ground-based and UAV engines. With small ground-based and UAV engines, electronically controlled fuel injection could be used to improve fuel efficiency, increase power density, reduce noise, and/or reduce emissions. The ability to meter fuel rapidly would allow precise control of small UAV engines at high rpm. Mainstream proposes to develop a fast-response, electronically controlled fuel injection system (including the injector, pump, and control system) for engines in the 5-20 hp range through innovative improvements to existing technology. The system will have multi-fuel capability and will be packaged to allow retrofitting to existing engines. In Phase I, Mainstream and the University of Wisconsin, a leader in the field of internal combustion research, will carry out an experimental evaluation to prove the feasibility and value of the proposed improvements. In Phase II, the team will fabricate and evaluate an integrated system with an operational engine.