Conference Program

In this keynote presentation, Olaf Otto, head of programs and projects, Rolls-Royce Electrical, will discuss new developments in hybrid electric propulsion systems for aircraft.

This presentation will explore the role of flight demonstrators in technology development. XO is responsible for the maturation and validation, in flight, of technologies in the domains of electrification, autonomy, connectivity and services.

The Aerospace Technology Institute has released a roadmap for aircraft electrical power systems. This presentation discusses the key needs and gaps, and shows a path to delivering the critical capabilities. The ATI research portfolio includes a number of challenging projects to develop capability for demonstrator aircraft and future concepts. Relevant project case studies are presented.

Aerospace is moving into a very special, bright era. The speaker will talk about this era from four perspectives: bright era – electrification perspective: proactively preparing a new roadmap based on the combination of HEP/MEA once the Brayton cycle limit is reached; bright era – additive manufacturing perspective: this will change almost all aspects of the way the industry produces flight devices; bright era – WBG perspective: WBG devices, such as SiC/GaN, as key enablers for electrification; bright era – digital perspective: including artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomy, Internet of Things, and so on.

The European Union Aeronautics research programme is celebrating its 30-year anniversary. The presentation will review the EU-funded research activities relevant to electric and hybrid aviation. It will highlight the research funding opportunities within Horizon 2020, and outline the European Commission proposal for the next EU research framework programme (Horizon Europe).

Electric flight opens up a new dimension in aviation and offers unprecedented opportunities for sustainable mobility in the future. A growing number of projects in research institutions and industry are investigating how electric – and thus emission-free and low-noise – aircraft concepts can be implemented, and which application scenarios are the most promising.

The Antares E2 aircraft is an optionally manned fixed-wing air vehicle designed for sovereign and industrial applications where long endurance, low operating costs, high reliability and discrete operations are required. This presentation will provide delegates with the latest developments in the project.

Electrification is an inescapable trend across aerospace markets as we all seek cleaner, more sustainable power. The ACCEL project is intended to pioneer this third wave of aviation through a highly specialized goal of building the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft. ACCEL will help us bring forward the adoption of zero-carbon flight, while also looking to stimulate the development of an electric aircraft supply chain, and of course making a run for the record books with a target speed of 300+ mph.

GKN Aerospace and partners have performed a trade study into potential hybrid and electric aircraft configurations utilizing boundary layer ingestion. The focus of the study was upon a new 160PAX single aisle aircraft with still air range of 2500nm complemented by an investigation of the impact of the BLI propulsion system on the GKN Aerospace Fokker 100 aircraft. An appraisal is given for BLI and the types of hybrid configuration studied within Phase 1, leading to conclusions on the viability of kerosene hybrids.

The presentation will introduce a serial hybrid electric configuration as the future propulsion of aviation. It offers quiet operation around airports, two-engine reliability on a single propeller, and efficient use of energy with smart power management.

The Airlander 10 is a revolutionary new aircraft that combines the properties of an airship, airplane and helicopter with a large upper surface, which makes it an ideal candidate for full electrification. The prototype Airlander 10 flew in the UK as a civil aircraft in 2016 and 2017 with fossil fuel engines. The production Airlander 10 will have the option of being fitted with electric propulsion and solar panels, enabling a 1,000kg payload to be carried for up to 60 days, or 60 passengers to be transported over 1,000km, with no fossil fuel burn.

The presentation discusses the challenging propulsion needs of electric drive systems applicable to electric and hybrid aircraft. Novel system architectures are considered and advantages quantified in line with the major components like electric rotating machines, motor controllers and speed reduction elements. Criteria for selection are presented, keeping in mind interfaces, cooling options, lubrication, power distribution, power quality, EMI and partial discharge events. Different levels of system and component integration are considered as a major driver to achieve the best power densities. Results from trade studies will be presented.

Axial flux motors offer an excellent torque-to-speed ratio, making them suitable for direct-drive operation. The presentation will explain the fundamental physical laws of axial flux machines and compare them with conventional motor typologies. A review of different types of axial flux motors (internal rotor, external rotor, multi-core machines) will follow, with an assessment of their suitability for electric and hybrid aircraft applications. To conclude, a summary of Phi-Power application examples will be presented.

Hybrid and electric propulsion is shaping the future of the aviation industry. In the race to bring the new propulsion concepts to global markets and provide safe, secure and sustainable mobility services, aerospace designers and engineers are looking to many different technologies to address the associated challenges. In particular, challenges in EMC and system integration represent uncharted waters in the new aviation era but are fundamental for providing business-critical capabilities such as autonomous flight, inflight connectivity, communication links and flight navigation.

Recent studies and forecasts suggest that to achieve a reduction in greenhouse emissions, the aeronautical industry must evolve into more efficient solutions based on electric technologies. Altran’s current strategy looks into hybrid and electric R&D projects. This paper is focused on the development of new solutions applied to an electric aircraft, under FAR CS-23 regulations, with 20kft cruise ceiling, two hours endurance plus 30 minutes contingency flight, and propulsive efficiency enhancements such as a state-of-the-art wingtip propulsive system and lifting body. Analytical calculations and CFD studies are presented for different configurations and geometries, changing the perspective on design methodologies.