Back in the day, I used this SG18 to make atmos for TV and Film work, a couple of projects that spring to mind are Wonder Woman and House of the Dragon etc.

The engine is a derivative of the fabeled Microturbo TRS18 turbojet, you may recall seeing Octopussy and Mr Bond in a BD5 Micro Plane , this was the type of engine used in it. This engine mark (SG18) is modified to get a slightly higher EGT which is needed to vaporise the smoke fluid to get a nice and misty/ cloudy effect.

As Paul would say, oooh, that’s a nice and shiny engine 🙂
As it was being used for special effects, when I first took ownership of it I removed the military radio control side of the electronics and replaced it with a manual hand held option, that’s the cable coiled up behind the engine.

The space to the left hand side of the housing is for the battery, so it’s all in a nice and tidy package, apart from the fuel supply of course. The white box to the left contains alternator control and charging electronics as well as some basic engine management.

The pipe that sticks in to the side of the exhaust pipe is for the smoke fluid injection, you might just be able to work out that this connects to the smoke fluid pump located just below it.

As a smoke generator, EGT’s are slightly higher than the airbourne versions of this engine, so for safety high temperature insulation is placed around the stubby exhaust, also it is worth noting that there isn’t provision for a EGT probe in this configuration as the engine was not originally manned in operation, so what would the point be.
The Igniter plug is situated nice on cleanly on the top of the engine.

The exhaust blanking plate protects the engine from the elements when not in use and is designed to simply pop off when the engine is started.

This image clearly shows the fuel filter housing and fuel pump which is powered by the normally on-board 24 volts DC battery.

Compact and well engineered installation in to the transport container.

The metal box on the left of the image was added to house the electronics for manual operation, the red light on top of the box signals smoke production.

I have previously mentioned that the SG18 runs a hotter EGT for smoke fluid vaporisation. This is done by increasing the gap around the turbine blade tips, which reduces efficiency and increases temperature. I have considered sleeving the turbine housing to bring the engine back in line with it’s TRS18 cousin, turning it into a pure turbo jet.

From this image you can see the smoke fluid injector nozzles, spaced wisely to achieve a balanced vaporisation area.

Battery power is provided by a standard 24/28 VDC aircraft connector.

One way valves and control piping.

Oil filler, basic but reliable.

I consider this low usage , just a fraction over 20 hours.

All encased in it’s container.
There are legs underneath that fold out when being used as a Smoke Generator, only just visable on top of the trolley.

Fuel and smoke oil feeds are at the rear of the unit, as are ventilation/ air flow and control dynamic settings.

Fly lead and hand control unit for when in use as a manual Smoke Generator.