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Airbus , Rolls-Royce , and Siemens have formed a partnership which aims at developing a near-term flight demonstrator which will be a significant step forward in hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft .
The three companies together announced the groundbreaking collaboration , bringing together some of the world ’ s foremost experts in electrical and propulsion technologies , at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London .
The E-Fan X hybrid-electric technology demonstrator is anticipated to fly in 2020 following a comprehensive ground test campaign , provisionally on a BAe 146 flying testbed , with one of the aircraft ’ s four gas turbine engines replaced by a two megawatt electric motor . Provisions will be made to replace a second gas turbine with an electric motor once system maturity has been proven .
The E-Fan X demonstrator will explore the challenges of high-power propulsion systems , such as thermal effects , electric thrust management , altitude and dynamic effects on electric systems and electromagnetic compatibility issues . The objective is to push and mature
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the technology , performance , safety and reliability enabling quick progress on the hybrid electric technology . The programme also aims at establishing the requirements for future certification of electrically powered aircraft while training a new generation of designers and engineers to bring hybrid-electric commercial aircraft one step closer to reality .
As part of the E-Fan X programme , Airbus , Rolls-Royce , and Siemens will each contribute with their extensive experience and know-how in their respective fields of expertise :
Airbus will be responsible for overall integration as well as the control architecture of the hybrid-electric propulsion system and batteries , and its integration with flight controls .
Rolls-Royce will be responsible for the turbo-shaft engine , two megawatt generator , and power electronics . Along with Airbus , Rolls-Royce will also work on the fan adaptation to the existing nacelle and the Siemens electric motor .
Siemens will deliver the two megawatt electric motors and their power electronic control unit , as well as the inverter , DC / DC converter , and power
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distribution system . This comes on top of the E-Aircraft Systems House collaboration between Airbus and Siemens , launched in 2016 , which aims at development and maturation of various electric propulsion system components and their terrestrial demonstraion across various power classes .
Among the top challenges for today ’ s aviation sector is to move towards a means of transport with improved environmental performance , that is more efficient and less reliant on fossil fuels . The partners are committed to meeting the EU technical environmental goals of the European Commission ’ s Flightpath 2050 Vision for Aviation ( reduction of CO2 by 75 %, reduction of NOx by 90 % and noise reduction by 65 %). These cannot be achieved with the technologies existing today . Therefore , Airbus , Rolls-Royce and Siemens are investing in and focusing research work in different technology areas including electrification . Electric and hybrid-electric propulsion are seen today as among the most promising technologies for addressing these challenges .
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| Global MDA Journal | NOV-DEC 2017
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