Photo: Rolls-Royce
With the Paris Air Show in full swing, we're simply flooded with exciting bits of news from the aerospace industry. And even info not directly linked to the event in France's capital seem to neatly fall into place.
Just as other players of this industry are showing off in Paris, British engine maker Rolls-Royce decided to give us some initial info on a small gas turbine “specifically developed to power hybrid-electric flight.” This one will be of particular interest to the companies working to develop eVTOLs and other small commuter aircraft, as the British tech is ideal for such applications.
The turbine is being developed by Rolls-Royce to become part of a turbogenerator system. It will work in conjunction with available electrical propulsion tech, and will be powerful enough to be at the core of aircraft capable of carrying up to 19 people.
The turbogenerator will be scalable in terms of power, offering anywhere between 500 kW and 1,200 kW, depending on needs, and can be used in either serial or parallel hybrid applications.
The system Rolls is putting together can be used either to recharge batteries, but can also supply power to electric propulsion motors in a more direct way – this way, the tech opens the doors to aircraft that can switch between power sources while in the air.
The turbogenerator will work as a sort of range extender for aircraft flying on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and, when companies manage to make this a reality, for hydrogen-powered machines as well.
Work on the tech is pretty advanced, and Rolls-Royce said it is getting ready to start testing the turbine. It will do so at first using SAF at a test facility in Dahlewitz, near Berlin. No exact timeline on when the system should be ready for commercial use has been provided.
If successful, the new tech will “enable our customers to extend the routes that electric flight can support and means more passengers will be able to travel further on low to net zero emissions aircraft.”
The turbine and generator announced this week by the Brits are only the latest salvos in Rolls-Royce's fight to become “the leading provider of all-electric and hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems for Advanced Air Mobility.”
Advanced Air Mobility is the generic term used to describe new-age vehicles, including VTOLs. A number of them are currently being shown in Paris, most in such an advanced state of development they're probably a very few short months away from relevant flight tests.
Although most of these VTOLs already have their own means of propulsion, Rolls-Royce is betting more on the ones that are only in their early stages, and could make greater use of the new tech.
The turbine is being developed by Rolls-Royce to become part of a turbogenerator system. It will work in conjunction with available electrical propulsion tech, and will be powerful enough to be at the core of aircraft capable of carrying up to 19 people.
The turbogenerator will be scalable in terms of power, offering anywhere between 500 kW and 1,200 kW, depending on needs, and can be used in either serial or parallel hybrid applications.
The system Rolls is putting together can be used either to recharge batteries, but can also supply power to electric propulsion motors in a more direct way – this way, the tech opens the doors to aircraft that can switch between power sources while in the air.
The turbogenerator will work as a sort of range extender for aircraft flying on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and, when companies manage to make this a reality, for hydrogen-powered machines as well.
Work on the tech is pretty advanced, and Rolls-Royce said it is getting ready to start testing the turbine. It will do so at first using SAF at a test facility in Dahlewitz, near Berlin. No exact timeline on when the system should be ready for commercial use has been provided.
If successful, the new tech will “enable our customers to extend the routes that electric flight can support and means more passengers will be able to travel further on low to net zero emissions aircraft.”
The turbine and generator announced this week by the Brits are only the latest salvos in Rolls-Royce's fight to become “the leading provider of all-electric and hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems for Advanced Air Mobility.”
Advanced Air Mobility is the generic term used to describe new-age vehicles, including VTOLs. A number of them are currently being shown in Paris, most in such an advanced state of development they're probably a very few short months away from relevant flight tests.
Although most of these VTOLs already have their own means of propulsion, Rolls-Royce is betting more on the ones that are only in their early stages, and could make greater use of the new tech.
Google News