RTX reached a key milestone on the road to hybrid-electric flight, running its engine and batteries at full power for the first time.
RTX has reached a key milestone in its hybrid-electric propulsion project, successfully running its system’s engine and batteries at full power for the first time.The Virginia-based aerospace and defense conglomerate aims to deliver a 30 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over current advanced regional turboprops with its Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator.
The successful test could pave the way for more fuel-efficient, greener regional aircraft.RTX eyes electrified regional flightsElectric aviation systems have great potential with their high torque, great efficiency, and zero emissions. However, these systems have a far lower energy density when compared with traditional internal combustion engines. Electric systems are far too heavy to power a long-haul flight. Instead, companies like RTX are looking to start off electrifying shorter regional flights as they mature their technology.RTX performed its latest test at a Pratt & Whitney Canada facility near Montreal. The company’s Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator features a thermal engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada, a 1-megawatt electric motor from Collins Aerospace, and a 200-kilowatt-hour battery system from Swiss startup H55.While operating, the thermal engine handles cruise phases, while the electric motor assists during taxi, takeoff, and climb, drawing power from the batteries.As RTX points out in a press statement, thermal engines typically convert 30-40 percent of fuel into useful energy, with the rest lost to heat and friction. Electrical systems, meanwhile, achieve over 90 percent efficiency.RTX has stated its system will be installed on a modified De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 for flight testing. To make these tests possible, the company’s engineers have addressed major challenges, including battery weight and high-voltage management. To reduce weight, the team used advanced materials, wide band-gap semiconductors, and high-density magnets.“We have some of the highest power density motors and motor controllers across the industry that we’re developing right now,” Joshua Parkin, Collins Aerospace engineering director explained in a press statement. “Every pound, every kilogram, it counts.”Addressing high-voltage managementHybrid-electric propulsion for regional aircraft requires thousands of battery cells. These are linked together and operate at high voltage levels. While this leads to an efficient system, it also creates a risk of overheating or electrical arcing, where electricity jumps out of the battery in the form of a miniature lightning bolt.“The voltage level we’re using for our system surpasses anything that’s in production right now in aviation,” noted David Venditti, Pratt & Whitney’s program manager.To address the issue of high-voltage management, the team added safety features into its battery design, including a fireproof enclosure for venting gases. Crucially, RTX’s battery system is also based on startup H55’s flight-proven technology. According to H55 it has flight-tested its technology on a smaller aircraft with over 2,000 incident-free hours of electric flight time, providing a solid, certified foundation. Next, RTX will continue to perform ground and flight testing in a bid to bring electric flight closer to reality.
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