Piezoelectric valve actuator for flexible diesel operation

Mide Technology Corporation, under the supervision of the U.S. Army, is developing fast hydraulic valve technologies for fuel injection systems. Mide aims to address the Army's 21st Century Vehicle programs by providing the flexibility to achieve economic, environmentally friendly, and power dense diesel operation from a single platform. The technology couples a highly efficient gained piezoelectric actuator to a diesel unit injector's control valve spool. Piezoelectric actuation enables proportional authority over the injector's control valve, as opposed to traditional digital (on/off) operation. This authority allows the integrated device to provide electronically controlled fuel injection rate shaping capability. Each injection event profile may be independently shaped to govern diesel engine operation in one of three selectable modes: Lean, for fuel efficiency; Clean, for reduced emissions; Mean, for improved battlefield performance. To date, Mide has shown injection rate shaping capability in the laboratory using the industry standard "rate tube test" to measure injection profiles. Future development will focus on an engine demonstration of Lean, Clean, and Mean operating mode flexibility using rate shaping technology.