Hybrid engines power the future

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e-FanX

Cyient’s senior vice-president aerospace & defence, Anand Parameswaran discusses hybrid engines, one of the most dynamic and talked about areas of 2017.

Cyient’s senior vice-president aerospace & defence, Anand Parameswaran discusses hybrid engines, one of the most dynamic and talked about areas of 2017.

2017 was another strong year for the aerospace and defence (A&D) industry, as both Boeing and Airbus continued to pile up record numbers of orders. From a defence perspective, global spending continues to grow, but much of the focus of that growth is coming from the inexorable rise of operations and maintenance costs along with an increasing interest in core military programmes, such as TACAIR, Surface Combatants, and increasing end strength. This has laid the foundations for what promises to be another lively year in 2018.

While electric flight remains out of reach for the time being, the last year has seen significant progress in engine efficiency and hybrid development. 2018 could be the year where we see further developments in the quest for hybrid power in the skies. GE has made significant strides, while Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens have announced a partnership targeting a demonstration flight by 2020 and commercial application by 2025. Easyjet has claimed short haul flights will be live in 10-20 years, and Wright Electric will have London to Paris up and running within a decade.

Cutting pollution and noise

With some forecasts suggesting the number of large aircraft will double over the next 20 years, hybrid engines could become a powerful tool for cutting global emissions of NOx and CO2. As part of its Flightpath 2050 plan, the European Commission wants a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 75%, it wants nitrogen oxide pollution down by 90%, and noise reduction of 65%. The EU acknowledges that the current focus is on developing hybrid technology because electric commercial flights are currently out of reach. We’ve already seen signs that this could be achievable in smaller regional aircraft, but work is needed to develop viable solutions for long-haul operations.

The EU is pushing for both environmentally-friendly and quieter engines. Hybrid and electrical power has huge potential for tackling the latter as well. Modern jets aren’t as noisy as their predecessors, but electric and hybrid motors are quieter still. This could have a wide range of secondary impacts. For example, this could allow more night flights, especially for airports close to city centres, and it could reduce the wider impact of airports on local residents.

However, the benefits of hybrid and electrical power don’t only reside with the environment and the public. There are real business benefits to be had for airlines. Until recently, there has been a reluctance to pursue dedicated programs owing to a perception the upfront investment associated with technological development is too high. However, 2017 was a turning point. Leaders across the industry are now investing meaningful resources to produce engines of the future.

Jet fuel is a huge part of an airline’s day to day running costs. In recent years this has covered anywhere from 17-36% of their expenditure – largely dependent on the price of oil. Hybrid power is a sure-fire way to slash these ongoing costs, and it also means that airlines will not be at the mercy of the rise and fall of crude.

The disruptive factor

A&D businesses are ramping up investment in new composites and advanced manufacturing technologies, targeting reduced build times and maintenance costs. The year ahead will see research and development in these areas continue to gather pace. Additive manufacturing is transforming how spare parts are made and testing models are run. The precision that it allows, particularly with intricate components, means that OEMs can manufacture, lighter and more accurate products faster than ever before. With greater efficiency and reduction in fuel usage high on the agenda, every gram of weight saved counts. The latter has a greater role to play in MRO as the constant high pressure placed on parts results in some components needing to be regularly replaced. The faster this can be done, the less time aircraft fleets spend grounded – an issue that is costing the industry vast sums of money.

Anand Parameswaran, Cyient’s senior vice-president, aerospace & defence

Equally, the manufacturing process here is far more streamlined, reducing human error, and allowing rapid prototyping to stress test new innovations or design concepts, before going into mass production. But despite the advantages of additive manufacturing in A&D, there are some challenges that need to be addressed before the technology can be adopted more widely across the industry.

The nature of the inherent risks associated with aviation makes it a highly regulated sector and this impacts the speed at which 3D manufacturing processes are being adopted. The technology has drawn heavy scrutiny from regulators and manufacturers face a challenge in proving the safety of products produced by this new process and gaining accreditation.

Some of the areas regulators are keen to focus their attention on over the next few years are how printed products will behave over time and based on the materials used, also it will be interesting to see how the industry adopts means to accelerate its adoption. The engine is an area to watch closer in 2018 as we expect further developments and breakthroughs.

Lightening the load

In the quest for hybrid power, we will see companies strive to overcome two primary barriers: 1) the weight of battery components, and 2) the weight of equipment to cool electric engines. The power to weight ratio of current batteries is not at the level needed to power a long-haul flight. The main challenge here is the additional power needed during take-off and landing. There is also a huge strain put on current systems to cool energy generators. The size, weight and expense of these are not realistic for practical application in long-haul commercial flights at the moment.

With so many leaders in the space focusing their energies on developments in engine efficiency, it will be an exciting space to watch. This is not as simple as it sounds, but there is plenty of incentive for the industry to take action, whether that’s in the form of pressure from the European Union for pollution improvements, or the chance for airlines to cut overheads. But the barriers to delivering on this promise remain high – barriers the sector is revelling in overcoming.

www.cyient.com/industries/aerospace-defense

Company

Cyient

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