Wave Engine Corporation, a company founded by the University of Maryland, has developed a modern digitally controlled pulse jet engine for drones and shipped the first batch to customers. The engine has no moving parts.
The company presented the first prototype in March, and now Wave Engine has announced commercial deliveries. The rather noisy device, which «breathes» fire, will soon be installed on real drones.
Delivery of the first J-1 engines has been assigned to «aerospace prime contractor, which is contracted by the US government». The company says it has other customers working on integrating the J-1 into their drones.
The engine, which looks like an elongated trombone, is the best fit for the UAV fuselage. It is designed for high-speed aerial drones with a total weight of up to 90 kg. The engine itself weighs 8.2 kg and measures 14 x 32 x 163 cm. It can run on a variety of fuels, including gasoline, bioethanol, or kerosene-based jet fuel, producing up to 245 N of thrust.
Unlike rotary engines, a pulse jet engine eliminates the need for moving parts. It relies on the pressures caused by combustion to push hot gases out and create thrust. Combustion occurs intermittently as fuel and air ignite in a chamber, raising the temperature and pressure to push hot gases out of both ends of the tube and create thrust. The process results in a partial vacuum that forces the tube to suck in fresh air, starting the process again.
The Pulsejet engine technology has been around since the early 20th century, but Wave has updated it with modern inventions such as electronic controls and believes it is suitable for the UAV industry. The company cites cost-effectiveness and the ability to scale up UAV production more quickly as advantages. In addition to the J-1, Wave Engine is working on a larger K-1 engine that will have up to 979 N of thrust for aircraft weighing up to 454 kg. The engine family was tested at a speed of 322 km/h.
Source: New Atlas