Honeywell’s variable geometry turbo (VGT) technology was featured on the Audi R15 TDI at 24 Hours of Le Mans, helping Audi claim a clean sweep of the podium stand (first, second, and third place), while breaking the distance record for the race.
The victorious Audi team of Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France), and Mike Rockenfeller (Germany), completed a total of 397 laps in the 24 hours, covering a record-breaking distance of 5,410 kilometers.
Honeywell has partnered with Audi Motorsport for the past three years to integrate its variable geometry turbo technology into all of Audi’s R15 TDI V10 Le Mans car engines in order to increase engine efficiency. This year, they were able to increase efficiency 20 percent over Audi’s previous (and larger) Le Mans engine model (Audi R10 V12 TDI). Variable geometry turbochargers are standard in all Audi TDI engines in production vehicles.
VGT turbos help optimize power-efficiency by using moveable vanes around the turbine inlet to match turbo boost precisely to the needs of the engine. At lower engine speeds, the variable nozzle turbine vanes close to restrict the exhaust air flow through the turbine, thereby increasing turbine power and boost pressure. At higher engine speeds, the moveable vanes open to maximize the exhaust gas flow, thereby avoiding turbo over-speed and maintaining the required boost pressure.
For more information, read the press release.
Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010
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UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that Honeywell Green Jet Fuel™ produced using its Green Jet Fuel process technology powered a Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopter flown by the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
The flight, which is the first helicopter flight using sustainable aviation biofuels to date, was conducted at Gilze-Rijen Airbase, the home of the Royal Netherlands’ combat helicopter fleet. Natural oils from algae and used cooking oil were converted into Green Jet Fuel using process technology developed by Honeywell’s UOP. The aviation biofuel was blended in a 50 percent mixture with traditional jet fuel, and this blend was used to power one of the Apache’s engines for a series of test maneuvers. No modifications were made to the engine or airframe for the flight.
Honeywell Green Jet Fuel has been used in four previous commercial biofuel demonstration flights, including a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines demonstration flight in November 2009. The fuel has also been demonstrated in fixed-wing flights with the U.S. Air Force and Navy as part of a joint program for alternative fuels testing and certification under the U.S. Defense Energy Support Center (DESC).
The process technology was originally developed in 2007 under a contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to produce renewable military jet fuel for the U.S. military. The process produces an aviation biofuel that can be blended seamlessly with petroleum-based fuel. As part of a 50 percent blend with petroleum-derived jet fuel, Green Jet Fuel is a drop-in replacement that requires no changes to the aircraft technology and meets all critical specifications for flight.
For more information, read the press release.
Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010
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Honeywell announced that its T-Hawk™ Micro Air Vehicle, the only fielded unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with hover and stare surveillance capability, has recorded its 10,000th flight since its introduction.
The 10,000th flight was part of an Explosive Ordinance Disposal evaluation exercise in Iraq.
Honeywell’s T-Hawk Micro Air Vehicle is a 17-pound vehicle that can hover and stare and offers an option of electro optical or infrared camera sensors for real-time surveillance without exposing soldiers to enemy fire.
At just 14 inches in diameter, the Honeywell T-Hawk vehicle is small enough for a backpack and can be deployed within five minutes. The T-Hawk features vertical take-off and landing and can fly up to 10,000 feet at 46 miles per hour, in winds up to 20 knots. Honeywell delivered the first production T-Hawks to the U.S. Navy in August 2009.
For more information, read the press release.
Posted on Friday, June 18, 2010
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Honeywell announced that it will provide its full suite of safety avionics, including its advanced IntuVue™ 3-D weather radar, for Tiger Airways’ new A320 aircraft in a multi-million dollar contract. Tiger Airways will be Asia’s first low-cost carrier to fly A320 aircraft with IntuVue which enhances safety and passenger comfort.
IntuVue™ 3-D weather radar is an advanced system that provides pilots a more complete picture of weather conditions than current two-dimensional (2-D) systems. As a lighter and more reliable system, IntuVue™ will also help Tiger Airways reduce costs and increase operational efficiency.
The agreement covers up to 50 new aircraft that are expected to start deliveries from late 2010 until 2015.
Honeywell’s full avionics suite includes an Air Data Inertial Reference Unit (ADIRU), Flight Management System (FMS), IntuVue 3-D advanced weather radar, next generation Aircraft Collision and Avoidance System (ACAS), solid state Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), HF Radio and Airline Operational Communication (AOC) software.
Established in September 2004, Tiger Airways now operates a fleet of 19 Airbus A320-family aircraft and is committed to increasing its fleet size to 68 by December 2015. The airline operates flights to 37 destinations across 11 countries and territories in Asia-Pacific from four bases in Singapore and Australia.
For more information, read the press release.
Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2010
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Honeywell signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy for a $27.3 million grant to produce a critical component of lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles.
The grant is intended to help Honeywell become the first domestic supplier of high-purity lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), a conductive salt that is one of four critical components in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are becoming more popular for use in a variety of applications because they are lighter and smaller than other batteries, hold their charge well, and can handle the numerous charge and discharge cycles required by modern electronics and vehicles.
The grant was awarded as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and is designed to accelerate the market introduction and penetration of advanced electric drive vehicles, reducing fuel consumption and vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases.
According to independent market research published by Avicenne, a leading market research firm, demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to grow more than 40 percent, from $7.2 billion in 2010 to $10.1 billion in 2015, driven by demand for plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles.
For more information, read the press release or watch a video about how Honeywell is enabling better batteries for cars.
Posted on Friday, June 11, 2010
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Honeywell can trace its roots back 125 years to 1885, when an inventor named Albert Butz patented the furnace regulator and alarm. He formed the Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator Co. in Minneapolis on April 23, 1886, and a few weeks later invented a simple, yet ingenious device that he called the “damper flapper.”
Today, Honeywell holds more than 28,000 patents or pending patents worldwide and was ranked in the top 10 among U.S. companies and the top 25 worldwide by the Intellectual Property Owners Association in the number of U.S. patents granted in 2009.
In 2009, Honeywell also successfully launched 600 new products. And, in 2010, Honeywell was named one of the “Top 10 Most Inventive Companies” in the U.S. by Forbes magazine and a “Most Innovative Company” by Fast Company.
With approximately 122,000 employees worldwide, including 19,000 engineers and scientists, Honeywell has a relentless focus on quality, delivery, value, and technology in everything we make and do.
For more information, interact with and explore some of Honeywell’s most innovative and differentiated technologies.
Posted on Thursday, June 10, 2010
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