The wave disk engine is a type of internal combustion gas turbine engine invented by Dr. Norbert Mueller, and Dr. Janusz Piechna and patented in 2009. Unlike a typical automobile engine which operates as an Otto cycle engine, the wave disk engine operates under the Atkinson cycle. This can lead to a higher theoretical maximum efficiency. Further the wave disk engine can be realized with only a single moving part, which can minimize system parasitic losses. Michigan State University received an Arpa-E grant in 2010 that financed the first major push in the advancement of the underlying principles and the building of a modest engine testing facility at Michigan State University's East Lansing campus. The test facility features state of the art data acquisition and control equipment. It has over 500 channels available for monitoring and control. The Test Cell is a blast safe, environmental controlled room, it has industry standard 3 level E-stop system and has complete video and audio feedback and recording. The remote control room allows all engine parameters to be monitored, recorded and controlled. The engine can even be controlled by a wireless tablet for easy sub-system verification. The intent of this paper is to show the reader the design and implementation of the wave disk engine control systems. This will cover all electrical and electromechanical systems from ignition systems to gas flow monitoring and control, to motor/generator control.
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