More electric dreams

AMJune21Features - gminsights1
AMJune21Features - gminsights1

Electronics and telecommunication engineering graduate, Hrishikesh Kadam examines the more electric aircraft (MEA) industry and how it underscores future aviation trends.  

Electronics and telecommunication engineering graduate, Hrishikesh Kadam examines the more electric aircraft (MEA) industry and how it underscores future aviation trends.

The aviation industry continues to witness a transition from mechanical systems to electrically powered ones as the notions of free flight and optimised trajectories gain importance. The more electric aircraft (MEA) concept is being widely recognised as the future of aerospace which could help curb environmental impact of aircrafts and cut overall maintenance costs.

Airframers, OEMs, and even the military have been putting considerable efforts into converting most of the hydraulic and pneumatic aircraft systems into electric components. MEA applications demand high power density and improved reliability and can help reduce aircraft weight, fuel consumption, and system complexity significantly.

In terms of annual valuation, the more electric aircraft market size is set to reach US$45 billion by the year 2025, says a report compiled by Global Market Insights, Inc.

MEA test investments

Strict regulatory mandates and the need to achieve long-term sustainability in the aviation sector is increasingly driving new developments in the MEA space. Airliners worldwide are committing towards adoption of electric aviation technologies and reducing their carbon footprint.

Back in April 2019, Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, had invested around US$50 million into setting up an advanced, high-power, high voltage laboratory called The Grid in Rockford, Illinois for designing and testing more electric aircraft systems. The Grid, according to the company, is going to be a highly flexible platform which would be used to test multiple different voltage levels and electric power ratings.

The Grid is a part of the company’s US$150 million investment in power electronics systems testing infrastructure that it plans to build over the course of the next few years. The nearly 25,000ft2 facility is expected to be complete and fully operational sometime this year. The new facility will be used to design and test aircraft electronic components such as high-power generators for commercial aviation, military, air taxis, drones, and other applications.

Company officials have mentioned that The Grid is a response to the development of high-performance aircraft, such as the MEA Boeing 787. It was noted that that the industry is increasingly heading towards more electric, all-electric, and hybrid-electric propulsion systems.

In September same year, Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer had supplied its first KC-390 military transport aircraft to the country’s air force, enabling it to bolster deployment capabilities in the field. The aircraft maker also delivered a E195-E2 jet to Azul Brazilian Airlines, the first in an order for 50 carriers.

Both the KC-390 and E195-E2 aircraft featured cockpit equipment, exterior lighting, Horizontal Stabiliser Trim Actuator (HSTA) and its control electronics developed by Safran Electronics and Defence.

Safran’s HSTA, as opposed to the traditional all-hydraulic technology, is an electromechanical system, making it completely adaptable to the latest MEA designs. Further, it streamlines the aircraft’s overall power system organisation and enhances control over its functions.

The advanced system links the aircraft to its horizontal stabiliser to keep the plane stable while maintaining its flight altitude and reducing the effect of aerodynamic forces. According to Safran, the technology allows aircraft to react to fluctuations in weight, centre of gravity and lift, via commands from the in-flight control system, reducing fuel consumption, pilot workload, and improving safety.

Factors limiting adoption

Despite the many benefits of MEA technology, there remain several challenges that need to be addressed for the technology to go mainstream. These include concerns related to stability of electrical components, such as electric motors, at high altitudes as well as the risk of incidents due to excessive heat generation. High initial costs may also slow down MEA adoption to some extent, especially among small and medium size airliners.

However, the MEA industry is constantly witnessing new technological advances and developments aimed at assessing these issues and overcoming them in a sustainable and cost-efficient manner. Some of the biggest names are prioritising development of new electric driven systems that can provide significant technical and economic improvements compared to conventional mechanical systems.

www.gminsights.com

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