Advanced Innovative Engineering (UK) Ltd
Advanced Innovative Engineering (AIE) specialises in the development of innovative Wankel rotary engines. AIE was founded in 2012 with a core team of highly capable design and development engineers with a broad spectrum of Wankel rotary knowledge, and in excess of 30 years actual rotary engine design and development experience with major global aerospace OEMs. From its headquarters in Lichfield, United Kingdom, AIE’s team is capable of taking a rotary engine-based power system from concept though design, prototype, development and then into production completely in house, creating technologies that combine low total cost-of-ownership (TCO) with exceptional reliability and versatility for commercial and defence markets.
ENGINE TECHNOLOGY - PATENTED SPARCS ROTOR COOLING SYSTEM
In redefining the state-of-the-art in rotary engine power systems, AIE has exploited its own patented technologies, namely the patented Self-Pressurising-Air Rotor Cooling System (SPARCS). SPARCS uses blow-by gases from the engine’s combustion process, which have escaped into the rotor-cooling working chamber past the rotor side seals. The pressurised gas is then re-circulated in a completely closed loop via a main shaft-driven, internal fan impeller, through the engine’s rotor cooling fins, where it absorbs heat, then passes through a heat exchanger to reject heat to the main liquid-cooling system. This novel use of the pressurised gas enables higher levels of heat rejection from the rotor than any previous system. The result is longer engine life and significantly reduced wear on engine parts.
225CS Wankel rotary Engine
The first engine AIE developed and most mature in terms of running hours and customer programmes is the 225CS, originally designed as a propulsion system for tactical UAVs, hybrid electric & niche vehicles, and compact auxiliary power units. Its inherent characteristics of high power-to-weight ratio, low vibration, and low operating cost are suited to a variety of applications in the aerospace, marine and automotive sectors.
80S wankel rotary engine
The 80S is a versatile propulsion solution for up to 100 kg MTOW hybrid unmanned vehicles and VTOL platforms. Using SPARCS with the inherent advantages of rotary engines -high power-to-weight ratio and low vibration and form factor-, the compact 80S delivers enhanced operational capabilities, such as increased endurance and extended time between overhaul. The 80S has been sold to both a hybrid tilt-rotor UAV programme and hybrid-electric airship application for infrastructure monitoring, in addition to various UAV customers in Turkey & Asia.