SBIR-STTR Award

Work is proposed to demonstrate the feasibility of a catalytic ignition system that can be retrofitted to a light-weight, silent-running, 1 kW generator, allowing it to be satisfactorily operated on heavy fuels such as diesel and JP-8. Genset modifications will be closely allied to catalytic igniter technology pioneered by Automotive Resources Incorporated that enables alternative fuel combustion in other small engine, vehicle, and aviation systems. The resulting product will be tested for acceptable fuel economy and noise emissions in military applications. Performance testing will include baseline testing with a 1 kW genset prior to engine conversion. A Phase I option is included to address issues of cold-start, long-term durability, and mass production. Both the military and private sector commercial market for lightweight heavy fuel engines is large and immediate. Military applications, both domestic and foreign, literally cover the entire spectrum of small engine applications. There exists a tremendous opportunity overseas for inexpensive diesel burning engines. There is a price difference paradox between diesel and gasoline fuel versus diesel and piston engines. While diesel fuel is less priced than gasoline, a diesel engine is typically higher priced as compared to a gasoline engine. The application of the SmartPlug ignition system in a lightweight heavy fuel engine would solve this dilemma, providing an inexpensive engine using a lower priced and readily available fuel. In addition, the construction industry would benefit greatly from many of the advantages of a lightweight heavy fuel engine. This would be especially when working out in the field away from a readily available electrical power source. Also, there is a commercial market for multi-fueled small gensets in industries like leisure boating, hunting and fishing, emergency response centers, etc.

The Army has indicated significant need for lightweight, heavy fuel engines for use in a wide variety of battlefield missions. The Catalytic Ignition System (SmartPlugTM) developed and patented by Automotive Resources, Inc. (ARI) promises to fulfill the Army's "One Fuel Forward" requirement without the need for replacing the gasoline engine with a new engine design. ARI had demonstrated the ability to manually start a lightweight, heavy fuel, direct injected, two-stroke, engine using SmartPlugTM technology. During Phase I, ARI successfully demonstrated a low cost conversion of an off-the-shelf Honda 1kW generator set with the following desirable characteristics: lightweight, asynchronous generator small-displacement four-stroke engine, carbureted, heavy fuel operation(Jet A or JP-8), -25F cold rope start equal performance with gasoline baseline The SmartPlugTM will allow new and existing engine designs to run well on heavy fuels, due to the powerful, catalytically induced, compression ignition event. The SmartPlugTM eliminates all rotating and high voltage parts in the ignition system, and is compatible with conventional and heavy fuels. This innovative catalytic compression ignition system shows great promise as the enabling technology for converting new and used lightweight gasoline engines to heavy fuel, without any changes to the basic gasoline engine

Keywords:
catalytic ignition, carbureted jp-8, diesel-burning, man-portable, lightweight, silent-mode, asynchronous-generator