SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Thermal management of engines, in stationary, mobile equipment and military vehicles can have a significant impact on the overall system efficiency. The components associated with thermal management (water pumps, fan drives, etc.) are driven by the engine they are cooling. These accessories must provide proper thermal management at all operating speeds of the engine, resulting in overdesigned accessories that waste fuel, increase emissions, create excess noise and reduce system life. There is significant focus to improve system efficiency of stationary or slow-moving equipment within all branches of the DoD. Orbital proposes to design and test an Advanced Thermal Management System (ATHEMAS) that will optimize engine operation by placing a controlled velocity accessory drive (CVAD) between the engine and the driven accessory. The CVAD controls the operation of the driven accessory independently of engine speed, resulting in increased fuel efficiency, reduced temperature variation and significant noise reduction. In Phase I, the focus will be on water pumps and fan drives for stationary and slow-moving engines, with the goal of increasing fuel efficiency by 5-20%, reducing thermal variations by 20% and reducing ambient noise by > 20%. Based on recent projections, the military and commercial market is greater than $500 million annually.
