Innovative Lightweight Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) Fuel Injection System

The objective of this project is to develop a lightweight fuel injection system for use with UAV Heavy-Fueled Engines. Current systems designed for automotive and diesel applications are not ideally suited to current small UAV HFE designs. The proper application and mapping of an injection system to an internal combustion engine has profound effects on engine performance. Current HFE trends indicate deviation from the conventional late- cycle diffusion combustion that is typical of diesel combustion. This even further necessitates the development of purpose-built injection hardware. The proposed Phase I effort involves refining a conceptual design, conducting engineering analysis and computer modeling, and refining and detailing the design. The scope of the proposed Phase I Option includes the machining and fabrication of prototype hardware and brief validation testing.