Experimental investigation on the performance of the prototype of aircraft Opposed-Piston engine with various values of intake pressure

Abstract

Over the last few decades, we have observed significant changes in the automotive and aviation sector regarding emission reduction and performance improvement. It is said that electrification is the main direction for the automotive industry, especially for short distances; thus, car manufacturers provide their vehicles with fully electric or hybrid engines. However, such an objective is difficult for the aviation industry, where flight endurance plays a key role, especially for small aircraft. For this reason, turbocharged internal combustion and small turbine engines are still widely used in such aircraft.This paper presents the experimental investigation of the intake pressure influence on the axial-opposed piston engine's performance, which might be used for aviation purposes. The experimental results were conducted on a prototype, axial opposed-piston engine PAMAR 4 equipped with the two-stage turbocharging system. Thanks to its variable systems, such an engine provided a wide range of intake pressure values. The tests were performed for intake pressure values up to 453 kPa. The experimental tests proved that the engine efficiency increased with the intake pressure. However, the engine's durability and reliability might be significantly affected due to the high in-cylinder pressure and temperature.