Calendar Q3, 2020 has seen continued intense technical activity that has included undertaking the final detailed design of the last few components for the TA200TP engine, the procurement of several units of ancillary equipment for the engine, and progress in the areas of fabricating and preparing for testing of the recuperator test pieces.
A significant milestone that is expected to be completed in Q4 2020 is the testing of the recuperator. The analytical work carried out on the most recent recuperator design is indicating a very pleasing performance capability and we are keen to have that theoretical performance validated through empirical testing. The below image shows part of the test rig which has been constructed in the workshop of our corporate facility in Adelaide.
The fuel pumps that were custom designed and ordered during the last quarter have been delayed in being delivered to us due to a COVID-19 interruption to the fuel pump manufacturer’s supply chain. The manufacturer has assured us that the pumps will be dispatched to us during October 2020.
Testing of the bearing system for our gearbox indicated that the required life of the bearings would not reach the target stipulated in our specifications list. This has resulted in the need to integrate a larger bearing, with associated additional analytical work required. The analysis has now been completed and the final design report and manufacturing drawings have been delivered to us, allowing for prototyping of the gearbox.
Development of a fully customised Engine Electronic Control Unit is underway with programming of the software associated with the unit currently being undertaken.
Overall, we are extremely pleased with how the technical program is progressing. The results of our analyses of the final designs for many components are indicating that our performance, structural integrity, and component/engine lifetime targets should be met.
During the past quarter, we have had the pleasure of hosting some industry placement engineering students from local universities. Find out more about what they have been working on here.
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