Tech Briefs Magazine - November 2023 - 20

Aerospace & Defense
Finalist
Zulu Pods: The World's First
Decentralized Lubrication
System
Daniella Sladen, Rob Sladen, Todd Currier
Zulu Pods
Fort Lauderdale, FL
E
ffective lubrication is essential to any mechanical system.
For example, it is responsible for providing a continuous
flow of oil to the engine of the aircraft. As aircrafts have
evolved, so have lubricant systems. Now, Zulu Pods, a Florida-based
aerospace startup has developed the Zulu Pod, a
self-contained, sealed, oil tank and pump that can be installed
into existing low-cost expendable jet engines. The
technology promises to revolutionize lubrication systems designed
for single-use engines like those found in drones
and missiles.
Zulu Pod is a decentralized lubrication system that combines
the function of a reservoir, pump, and nozzle into a single,
self-contained, hermetically sealed, packaged oil delivery
system. It is lighter, placed right in the working zone of
the engine bearing or gear compartment, and meters the
exact amount of lubrication for optimal performance.
" Both my husband and I have a background in aerospace
engineering, we spent most of our careers in the world of jet
engines. We saw an opportunity in the small engine market,
where the lubrication system was overdesigned, and not optimized
for its mission, " said Daniella Sladen, Co-Founder and
CTO. " On a long car ride, with our kids sleeping in the back,
we came up with the idea of a pod-like lubrication system for
one-time use engines. We started this company because we
lived the pain points of this problem and saw the gap to radically
simplify engine architecture, " she added.
The system can be used for primary lubrication for limited
life engines or backup lubrication during a loss of lubrication
event. The pods present a new, revolutionary approach to
limited life engine design. Conventional lubrication systems
can be the bottleneck in your limited-life engine performance.
Traditional oil and fuel/lube delivery systems used in
limited life engines incorporate a bulky, centralized assembly
with multiple sourced components leading to increased
weight, supply chain complexity, and excess engine design
modifications.
" As a startup born in 2020, we experienced supply chain
issues like many companies. We quickly realized that if we
wanted to get products made at the fast pace we were tar20
geting,
we couldn't rely on the supply chain and needed to
bring production in house. The supply chain issue catapulted
our vertical integration and has allowed us to iterate on our
design with the speed required of startups, " said Sladen.
The system safeguards human life and critical assets during
a loss of lubrication event with the Zulu Pod emergency lubrication
system. The patented self-contained oil delivery
system generates its own pressure supply independent of a
pump - capable of being strategically placed in and around
mechanical systems to provide the optimal amount of lubrication
during a loss of lubrication event.
Zulu Pods are self-energized and utilize metering technology
to deliver precise amounts of fluid to a working zone. The
pods are amorphous and insensitive to attitude so regardless
of the conditions, the fluid still flows at the prescribed rate,
challenging the conventional design approach of limited life
engines by re-imagining lubrication delivery, thus allowing for
radical simplifications in engine architecture.
There are several well-defined markets for this lubrication
system. Within the aerospace and defense markets, Zulu
Pods is engaged with Department of Defense entities (U.S.
Army, Navy, Air Force) and several major engine manufacturing
OEMs.
" These contracts focus on two core applications: primary
lubrication on UAV/missile systems and emergency, back-up
lubrication for rotary wing platforms, " said Sladen. " Future
applications include system health monitoring and automated
maintenance for autonomous ground vehicles, and loss of
lubrication for offshore wind turbines, " she added.
For more information, visit https://contest.techbriefs.
com/2023/entries/12194.
www.techbriefs.com
Tech Briefs, November 2023
http://www.createthefuturecontest.com https://contest.techbriefs.com/2023/entries/12194 http://www.techbriefs.com
Tech Briefs Magazine - November 2023

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