Aiming high PBS Velká Bíteš

aiMing high

PBS Velká Bíteš is an engineering company boasting a solid tradition, the manufacturer of high-speed turbine machines for the aerospace and power industries. The company competence includes in-house design and development of small UAV engines, auxiliary power units and air conditioning systems for aircraft and helicopters along with all the connected manufacturing processes including precision casting, hi-tech machining of metals, electroplating and subsequent assembly of finished products. Based on its engineering skills and extensive experience, the company now wishes to increase its business for its core aerospace sector. Romana Moares reports.

PBS Velká Bíteš, based near the city of Brno, draws on a long and rich engineering and manufacturing tradition of the second largest city of the Czech Republic. It is fully owned by the PBS GROUP, a large grouping of engineering companies, providing a solid management structure and synergies between the sister companies. PBS has a varied portfolio and delivers high quality products in four business lines - aerospace, transportation, power and waste water management.

PBS is a leading European supplier of turbocharger wheels for transport vehicles, locomotives, ships and cars, specialising in precision castings of wheels, blades and other turbocharger components as well as their subsequent precision machining. The company is also a trusted partner for the power generation sector, supplying rotors and stator blades for gas turbines, and an important producer of decanter centrifuges, designed for water treatment plants and industrial applications.

With designing and manufacturing aircraft equipment and devices for over 45 years, the aerospace programme is a key business line of PBS Velká Bíteš. The first aerospace products developed and produced by PBS were Auxiliary Power Units (APU) and Environmental Control Systems (ECS). The APUs and the ECS in accordance with global aerospace standards have boosted the company’s success in global markets. APU Safír 5K/G MI today is the key product of the division, generating a large percentage of current revenue with a significant growth potential.

After gaining valuable experience in this technology, PBS expanded its product portfolio to include main propulsion units – turbojet, turboshaft and turboprop engines for small manned or unmanned aircraft and helicopters. Their technical parameters and excellent power-to-weight ratio have made PBS one of the world leaders in its field. The company is a certified aerospace manufacturer (EASA DOA PART 21, Section A, Subpart J, G).

Powered to fly

PBS turbojet engines are designed mainly for missiles, target drones, UAVs, powered gliders and micro jets. PBS offers a number of turbojet engines which differ in thrust, but all offer an excellent power-to-weight ratio, compact design, reliable operation, low fuel and oil consumption,

and starting at high altitudes and at high speeds. The most commercially successful model is the TJ100 turbojet engine (1,300 N). It is a single-shaft engine that features a starter generator integrated in the radial compressor impeller, one axial turbine, autonomous oil system and digital control system. So far, over 750 units have been delivered to customers in Spain, China, UAE, Russia, the USA, Germany and other countries.

The PBS TP100 turboprop engine is designed for UAVs and small experimental aircraft. The TP100 develops 180 kW and weighs 62 kg. Low weight, low-vibration operation, extended intervals between overhauls (TBO), and higher efficiency at high altitudes make the TP100 engine stand out from competing piston engines. The TP100 is able to achieve flight levels of 9,000 m with a maximum starting height of 6,000 m. The engine may be installed in either pusher or tractor mode.

The PBS TS100 turboshaft engine is designed for light helicopters and unmanned helicopters. It has small installation dimensions, low weight and high static performance, it offers maximum power of180 kW. Similarly to the turboprop engine, it is able to achieve flight levels of up to 9,000 m and a maximum starting height of 6,000 m. Its modular design features a gas generator, power turbine and gearbox, which offer the possibility to install a 1.6 kW alternator.

Worldwide reach

In 2017, the company completed the development of two types of small turbojet engines, which, in terms of thrust and weight parameters, represent the very best in their categories. The PBS TJ80 type turbojet engine has been designed as a propulsion unit for aerial targets, missiles and other UCAV systems. Development of this engine started in 2015; 4 prototypes were manufactured and used for testing. It is a simple design engine, lubricated by fuel with oil admixture, fitted with BLDC starter-generator, electric fuel pump and electric control system of FADEC type. TJ80 is built to customer specifications and may be modified based on specific installation requirements and meet different operating conditions. The engine is now ready to be launched into series production.

Another new development is the turbojet engine PBS TJ40-G2, designed for UAVs, target drones and gliders. The engine can provide

speeds of up to Mach 0.8 and take its parent aircraft to an altitude of 9,000 m. Weighing just 3.8 kg the TJ40-G2 provides take-off thrust of 395N. Other features include engine start temperatures as low as -40°C and a shortened start-up sequence that comes in at less than 25 seconds. The utility of the engine will be greatly enhanced by the ability “for repeat starts” – on the ground or in flight – and the fact that the engine may be used in any position at the time of launch.

Although PBS’s turbojet engines are designed primarily for the aviation sector, the company participates in various development projects, where the final product can hardly be classified as an aircraft. An example of a different application is the “Flying Bike Apollo“ constructed by an American company JetPack International. The “Jet Bike “is equipped with two PBS TJ100 turbojet engines with maximum power of 1,150N.

The engine programme in general, and the turbojet engine line in particular, have become the key direction the Aerospace Division of PBS wishes to pursue. The company is now developing PBS TJ150 turbojet engine, with maximum thrust of 1,500 N, planned to be launched in 2018. The goal for the future is to expand the delivery of aerospace products worldwide. n