ZOCHE aero-diesels

The Diesel engine has demonstrated the lowest specific fuel consumption of any prime mover (as low as .26 lb/hp hr for large 2-stroke marine Diesels). It uses fuel which is much cheaper and still contains more energy per gallon than gasoline or avgas. There were Diesel aircraft engines decades ago. In the 1930's the Junkers JUMO 205 was well used on transatlantic service to South America; it had a cruise BSFC of .356 lb/hp hr and a specific weight of 1.5 lb/hp (for max. power). JUMO Diesel powered aircraft had operating altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. So far there has been no development of this kind of highly efficient aero-engine (except for Napier Nomad which did not reach production stage).

Following these almost forgotten examples we developed a new piston engine for the general aviation: the ZOCHE aero diesel.

It is a radial engine with 4 cylinders per row. It is a direct drive, highly charged, direct fuel injected, air cooled two-stroke cycle diesel.

The opposed-cylinder, spark ignited aircraft engine taken as baseline, ZOCHE aero diesels offer many advantages:

* The engine has half the specific weight, half the frontal area and burns less fuel. This leads to remarkable improvements of aircraft parameters. Payload, range and speed will be markedly better.

* Greatly reduced fuel costs - engine burns fewer lb/hp hr; diesel or jet fuel has more lb/gallon and costs less per gallon.

* Very low vibration level - the 4 cylinder bank can be 100% balanced for all rotating and reciprocating inertias. Torque vibration is minimal due to 4 (or 8) overlapping power pulses per revolution. There is no reversing torque.

* High inflight reliability - no carburettot-icing, no magneto or spark-plug problems, no vapor lock. Turbine inlet temperature is so low that it needs no monitoring. Even cylinder head temperatures are not critical.

* Good reliability and low maintenance cost due to the lack of reduction drive, the very low parts count and the use of reliable diesel components.

* No electromagnetic interference.

* Easy to operate - one power lever only. No mixture, no alternate air, no aux fuel pump, no magneto switches, no mandatory temperature, boost or power restrictions.

* Reduced 'hot and high' problems - critical altitude at least 9,000 feet.

* Reliable start at low temperatures - patented pneumatic start system provides instant manifold pressure. Cold start and acceleration to 2,500 rpm within a second has been demonstrated. Start air reservoir is refilled by a manifold air driven free piston pump. In case of need this pump can be operated on any 2 bar (28 psi) air supply. A fully automatic prelubrication system is standard.

* Dramitcally reduced fire hazard - diesel fuel has a much lower flammability. Exhaust manifold temperature is 720 F lower.

* Safe electrical power - directly driven overload protected brushless alternator - no belts or gears or bearings.

* Full aerobatic pressure lubrication.

The very compact ZOCHE aero diesel incorporates the latest cylinder technology as well as refinements like tungsten counterweights and full aerobatic pressure lubrication. The ZOCHE aero diesel's high efficiency reduces the amount of rejected heat, thereby minimizing the cooling air requirement. Cooling problems are further reduced by the fact that there are no areas in this diesel engine which demand such exact cooling as the cylinder head of a spark ignited engine. Charge air pressure is generated by a combination of a highly efficient mechanical blower and a turbocharger. This reduces the power loss at altitude. Recent improvements include a proprietary pneumatic starter system which uses the gear driven supercharger as a starter turbine. The fuel injection pump together with its feed pump, the fuel filter and all connecting plumbing is now integrated into the crankcase assembly. The intake manifold is now a part of the crankcase casting. These developments further reduce the parts count, simp

Specifications: ZOCHE ZO 01A

Propeller Shaft Rotation is clockwise (viewed from anti-propeller end), there are 3 Accessory Drive Pads running at Crankshaft Speed, Weight includes: Pneumatic Starter, Alternator 24 V 40 A, hydraulic Prop-Governor, Turbo- and Supercharger, Oil- and Fuel filter. Minimum Starter Air Reservoir is 8 liter / 30 bar (2.1 gallon / 435 psi). Engines will be certified according to JAR-E and FAR 33. Patents DE 3525665, EP 0231223, US 4,781,028, Japan 63-500818, Patents pending. "aero diesel" is a Registered Trademark.

MICHAEL ZOCHE. KEFERSTRASSE 13.8000 MUNCHEN 40.GERMANY TELEFON(+49 89) 34 45 91. TELEFAX(+49 89) 34 24 51