Unicorn Aviation, a Swiss-French company, has introduced a redundant, flex-fuel injection system for Rotax engines.
The system supports both traditional aviation fuels and E85 bioethanol, according to company officials.
Features include:
- Dual sensors and separate fuel circuits to ensure safety.
- Full power even without an electric fuel pump, using the mechanical pump instead.
- Electrical redundancy, which allows the system to switch seamlessly to battery power in case of generator failure, keeping the engine running without pilot intervention.
Real-World Testing
Unicorn Aviation partnered with Bio Ethanol France and EPure to conduct more than 300 hours of engine testing.
“Results showed that E85 bioethanol poses no risks to engines or fuel lines, contrary to common misconceptions,” said company officials, who note the system has been installed on multiple aircraft, including two XL8s and a VL3.
For more information: Unicorn-Aviation.com
Until we get to a battery/electric or hydrogen fueled economy (powered by small, modular reactors), ethanol sucks. It works perfectly well in humans when consumed as beer, wine and liquor, but in internal combustion engines, it is not a good thing. Thank the farm lobby for foisting this insanity on us.
What about the water absorption capability of ethanol.. in automobile fuel systems the fuel tank is sealed.. not so for aircraft fuel tanks.. breathing in the humidity..
I make a modest living repairing and replacing ethanol damaged parts in ic engines.
Ethanol itself isn’t the culprit, all the water it absorbs is.
Our friendly regulators have apparently overlooked environs like the great northwest where ambient humidity is far higher than the ‘Corn Belt’. Florida and the southeast are worse.
Testing and certification of ‘Dino eth ‘ needs to done with water in the mix.
Then material compatibility needs to include long term ‘wet mix’ testing.
Ive seen evidence of fuel separation resulting from long term storage too.
Rock your wings as part of pre-flight !!!
Ethanol has no place in aviation.
( OK, Ground handling equipment.)
Good question !
I make a modest living repairing Ethanol damaged parts in fuel systems.
Ethanol by itself is not the culprit. The water that it absorbs is.
All testing of ‘dino-eth’ needs to be done with some amount of real world water in it .
In regions like my NW and the SE this is a big issue.
Testing shall include long-term wet soak testing with some water in the mix.
I’ve seen evidence of fuel separation in long term storage also.
Ethanol has no place in aviation.
( OK, ground handling equipment.)
Why? Grain should be used for food and feed, not for fuel. Fracking gives us all the inexpensive, powerful, lead-free, corrosion-free fuel we’d ever need. Running an engine on ethanol is nothing new, it was done in a biplane back in the late 1920s. The same problems back then exist today – it has only 70% the power by weight of gasoline, so you will burn more fuel, have less power, less range, and pollute more than with straight gasoline. Fuel systems have been “hardened” for E10-E85 over the past 20 years, see most newer aircraft engines. But that is not the point. Ethanol is a lose-lose for the environment and for aviation, so let’s stick with good-old fossil fuels, God’s gift to humanity. Thanks to American engineers who have developed fracking, refining, and directional drilling, it is more plentiful than ever before – once government gets out of the way, which will happen in the US next January.