Design and Evaluation of an Adaptive Engine Control Unit for a Micro Turbojet

This paper presents the design, analysis, and experimental evaluation of the creation and implementation of an aftermarket Engine Control Unit (ECU) built to control and collect data from a micro (22 pound thrust) turbojet. The motivation for this study is to develop a start-up sequence for a JetCat P-100 that is adaptive to different external conditions. The micro turbojet used as a test article has been modified to include pitot tubes, thermocouples, and a hall effect sensor to measure pressure and temperature at critical points within the turbojet and RPM respectively. To get initial fuel flow rates and rpm, the stock ECU was treated like a “black box” and was measured during the startup sequence in a stock engine configuration. This data was used as a baseline, then the fuel flow rate was varied based on the total pressure reading measured behind the compressor. The impact of this study is to make future research more accessible so that researchers won’t have to contend with the stock JetCat ECUs automatically stopping when something like fuel flow rate is changed. Since this developed ECU will have more real-life current measurements of conditions than purchased ECUs, these parameters could be more easily accounted for to start the engine more consistently in sub-optimal conditions.