AHEAD

Advanced Hybrid Engines for Aircraft Development

 Partecipanti

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Future demands on the air transport systems dictate that aircraft should be less polluting, less noisy and more fuel efficient. Also, in the long term alternative fuels like biofuels and hydrogen will replace the traditional jet fuel. The ACARE in Europe has identified that CO2 emission and perceived noise levels should be reduced by half and NOx emission be reduced by 80% by 2020. However recent ACARE studies indicate that these targets cannot be achieved using current incremental technological improvements. As the new ACARE environmental and efficiency targets for 2050 will be even more demanding, there is an urgent need for breakthrough technologies. The hybrid engine proposed in AHEAD is a novel propulsion system with a different architecture as compared to the conventional turbofan engine. The hybrid engine uses several unique technologies like shrouded contra-rotating fans, bleed cooling, dual hybrid combustion system (using hydrogen and biofuel under flameless conditions to reduce CO2 and NOx emission respectively). The hybrid engine proposed in AHEAD will constitute a leap forward in terms of environmental friendliness, will use advanced multiple fuels and will enable the design of fuel-efficient Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft configurations. The efficiency of BWB aircraft will be enhanced significantly due to embedded hybrid engines using the boundary layer ingestion (BLI) method. The project aims to establish the feasibility of proposed hybrid engine configuration and will demonstrate that the concept will substantially lower the engine emissions, installation drag and noise. The BWB configuration along with the proposed hybrid engine concept will bring in the much required breakthrough in civil aviation. The project will also evaluate the effect of LH2 storage on BWB aircraft and its integration with embedded hybrid engines and the environmental gains achieved. Special attention will directed to evaluate the effect of H2O emission on the environment.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

By 2050, the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe (ACARE) has stated that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, noise levels and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from air transport should reduce by by 75%, 65% and 90 % respectively. Current incremental technological improvements to existing engines cannot meet these targets.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

A new hybrid engine with a novel propulsion system and architecture is under development by the EU-funded 'Advanced hybrid engines for aircraft development' (http://www.ahead-euproject.eu/ (AHEAD)) project. Researchers will establish the feasibility of the hybrid engine concept for the next generation of multi-fuel blended wing body (MF BWB) aircraft. The multi-fuel BWB aircraft has the capability to carry cryogenic fuel and biofuel. The BWB aircraft has efficient high-lift wings and a wide airfoil-shaped body that could potentially increase fuel efficiency and range.

The breakthrough hybrid engine design incorporates new systems. For instance, the shrouded counter rotating fans reduce required diameter and improve propulsive efficiency for the same bypass ratio. Incorporation of bleed cooling reduces fuel consumption and use of the boundary layer ingestion method for embedded hybrid engines increases engine efficiency.

To reduce CO2 and NOx emissions, there is a dual hybrid combustion system (using hydrogen and biofuel under flameless conditions). Use of the MF BWB with liquefied natural gas and kerosene caused about a 65 % reduction in CO2, 80 % reduction in NOx and significant noise reduction. CO2 reduction is more for the liquid hydrogen (LH2) version, but the life cycle CO2 cost of LH2 has yet to be calculated.

Results so far have exceeded the planned objectives. The preliminary design of the BWB aircraft is complete. The hybrid engine architecture has been optimised. The bleed cooling system has been defined and the heat exchanger is being evaluated for patent submission. Computational fluid dynamic simulations helped in selecting the best geometry for the hydrogen combustion chamber that is now being manufactured.

To assess the impact on global warming, the effect of water vapour, CO2 and NOx emissions from the AHEAD aircraft with hybrid engines was evaluated. Special attention will be given to the impact of water vapour that condenses into contrails at high altitude and which is thought to have a global warming effect.

The AHEAD hybrid engine will constitute a massive leap forward in terms of environmental friendliness. The BWB configuration along with the proposed hybrid engine concept promises to bring in the much required breakthrough in civil aviation technology.