GUY NORRIS / SAN DIEGO
Pratt & Whitney's modified JT15D will reduce weight, volume and drag of UAV engines
Pratt & Whitney, with sister companies Hamilton Sundstrand, Sikorsky and the United Technologies Research Center, plans to develop a power module for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) that could cut weight by 34% and supply enough power for directed energy weapons.
The concept combines engine, inlet, exhaust, electric power, thermal management, control and health monitoring in a single analysis and design approach. The group is committed to pursuing power modules for a variety of air vehicles under the just-launched integrated total power system (ITAPS) initiative.
Three main technology areas are being pursued to support near-term UAV programmes, particularly the Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS). They include thermal management, integrated power generation, and integrated inlet/engine control. Analysis suggests 8%less fuel burn, 34% reduction in empty weight and a 23% production cost cut.
Speaking at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics UAV conference in San Diego last week, Martin Georges, P&W military unmanned systems programme manager, said the company has modified a JT15D with an advanced thermal management system. The system transfers heat into the fuel flow, eliminating the weight, volume and drag of a ram air circuit. "The UT Technology Center has developed a system which even slightly increases engine performance due to the increased heat of the fuel," he adds.
In 2004, the next phase will be a modified integrated power generation system on a JT15D in which a low-pressure spool generator and internal starter generator will replace conventional gearbox driven units.
The results of the first two elements will feed into tests of an engine with active inlet control, which is aimed at managing inlet distortion and reducing inlet lift and drag.
The test is expected to use the PW800 derivative of the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) XTE67 demonstrator. The data will feed the US Navy's XTE67/A1 IHPTET demonstrator in 2007, with the aim of supporting risk reduction and technology readiness levels adequate to apply to J-UCAS development in 2007-10.
Source: Flight International
