SBIR-STTR Award

Future military diesel engines will require fuel system improvements to meet their desired performance targets including increased power density, increased fuel economy, reduced heat rejection and the ability to operate on different heavy hydrocarbon fuels. Sturman Industries’ hydraulically intensified, ultra high pressure fuel injectors together with their control algorithms provide the performance and flexibility necessary to reach the next level in diesel engine performance. Accordingly, the overall objective of Phase I of this project is to identify a hydraulically-intensified fuel system technology that will meet the military’s engine performance and injector durability objectives. The project plan calls for extensive hydraulic simulation and concept design as well as bench testing of existing Sturman injectors that possess some or all of the performance characteristics sought. Optimizations regarding the important fuel system characteristics such as injection quantities, power consumption, dwell between injection events, and repeatability will be conducted. Fuel injectors with Sturman’s proprietary valve technology are well-suited to meet stringent performance requirements through increased injection pressures and the flexibility for multiple injection events per cycle. The various features will be evaluated with respect to the program technical specifications. The resulting fuel system recommendation will be an optimized combination of the available technology.

Keywords:
Hydraulically Intensified Fuel Injection, High Power Density, Diesel Engines, Electronic Control, Multi-Fuel Injection, Jp-8 Fuel Injection, High Pressure Fuel Injection, Clos

Future military diesel engines will require fuel system improvements to meet their desired performance targets including increased power density, increased fuel economy, reduced heat rejection and the ability to operate on different heavy hydrocarbon fuels, especially JP-8. Hydraulically intensified, ultra high pressure fuel injectors, together with advanced closed-loop engine controls, provide the performance and flexibility necessary to reach the next level in diesel engine performance. In Phase I of this project, a hydraulically intensified fuel system capable of meeting the desired performance objectives was identified and analyzed. The objectives of Phase II of this project are to finalize the design, manufacture and bench test a set of hydraulically intensified, ultra high pressure fuel injectors that will meet the military’s engine performance and injector durability objectives and be ready for installation into a military relevant engine platform for dynamometer testing.

Keywords:
Hydraulically Intensified Fuel Injection, High Power Density, Diesel Engines, Electronic Control, Multi-Fuel Injection, Jp-8 Fuel Injection, High Pressure Fuel Injection, Clos