DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDIGENOUS 55 HP WANKEL ENGINE

ABSTRACT: During the last decade, a number of developmental projects have been initiated both in civil as well as military aviation, for Powered Hang Gliders for aerial spraying of pesticides, Small Aircraft, Pilot-less Target Aircrafts and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The requirements for all these applications are similar in that the power to weight ratio should be high, specific fuel consumption (sfc) should be low, noise and vibration levels must be low, thermal efficiency must be reasonably higher and maintenance and serviceability should be acceptable. A prominent contender that can meet all the above requirements is the Wankel engine. In recent years, they are found increasingly in roles where their compact size and quiet running is important, notably in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). At present, the National Aerospace Laboratories is involved in the indigenous development of Wankel engines to support the nation’s UAVs program. A 55 hp single rotor, liquid cooled, Wankel engine was designed, developed and the 1st Proto type (PT1) was successfully tested. This paper describes the developmental work carried out on the Wankel engine and the performance validation of the engine. 1