AIRCRAFT HYBRID

Electric Aircraft Motors

A number of companies are developing electric power plants for aircraft, basically
powered gliders and small ultralight aircraft. In most of these designs the power plant is of
secondary importance and the aircraft can fly, or better, glide considerable distances without
an engine purely by its basic aerodynamic properties alone, aka glider.

You will not see, any time soon, electric power plants in every day workhorses
general aviation class aircraft just because there are still too many limitations to overcome.
The main problem is power storage: liquid fuel (AVgas or Jet fuel) has the highest energy
density per weight, which is very hard to beat, except for nuclear power plants.

Hybrid Aircraft Propulsion

A number of companies are developing electric power plants for aircraft, basically
powered gliders and small ultralight aircraft. In most of these designs the power plant is of
secondary importance and the aircraft can fly, or better, glide considerable distances without
an engine purely by its basic aerodynamic properties alone, aka glider.

Hybrid propulsion means a

combination of electric and internal
combustion motors. The idea is that you
use the best of both worlds to come to the
same or even better result. In the case of
aviation this means: lower fuel
consumption, lower emissions and as such
a cleaner flight with less impact on the
environment.

Keep in mind that this must mean the whole picture from fabricating of the engines,
maybe batteries (chemicals) and all that is needed for the installation and final removal.

It converter supplies the electric motor with power from the battery and the generator.
Fuel consumption is very low since the internal combustion engine always runs with an
efficient constant low output of 30 kW. The battery system from EADS provides the
increased power required during take-off and climb. The accumulator is recharged during the
cruising phase.

NASA

While hybrid and electric engines are becoming commonplace for cars and trucks, that is not
the case for aircraft.

However, basic and applied research on all-electric, turbo-electric and hybrid power sources
for aircraft is ongoing in civilian agencies such as NASA, the private sector and at least in one
Defense Department program. The military may at some point benefit from some of these new ideas
to power aircraft, experts said. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has one program
looking into the technology.

One of the ways the technology can be applied for larger aircraft is distributed power
systems, German said. For example, the larger a gas-turbine engine is the more efficiency can be
squeezed out of it. Thats why there tends to be only a few massive engines hanging off aircraft such
as the C-17. Researchers have known for many years that putting many smaller propellers or engine
fans, distributed at key areas would be even more efficient.

Every aircraft has a boundary layer, an area of dead air above the wing that builds up and
creates drag as the plane flies. By placing several smaller fans along the aircraft, the boundary layer
is ingested and almost disappears, making the aircraft faster or more energy efficient

This is the principle behind DARPAs LightningStrike vertical takeoff and landing X-plane that
it is developing with Aurora Flight Sciences. An artists rendering of the plane shows 26 hybrid-
electric propulsion fans distributed on the aircraft. The program has flown a 325-pound scale model
and expects to build a full-scale version within the next two years, the company said in a statement.
Operating from austere landing zones is the requirement the program is seeking to fill,

The automotive industry as it moves toward a world with all-electric cars is supremely
concerned about the batteries price point. In the aviation world, its all about making the batteries
lighter.
 Compare that to a typical gas-turbine aircraft engine that puts out some 10,000 to 12,000
watt-hours per kilogram. Compared to 200, that seems like a huge gulf. However, the vast majority
of energy in a typical aircraft engine is wasted. As much as 70 percent is heat exhaust. So the watt-
hours-per-kilogram gulf is closer to 3,000.

Lithium-ion battery capacity is doubling about every seven to eight years, so 400 watt-hours
per kilogram is foreseeable. Powering a general aviation, single-engine aircraft with current ranges
can be practical at that density level.

EasyJet is making the first hydrogen

hybrid planes
Energy captured as the brakes are deployed during landing would then power
the jet when it is on the ground, similar to the kinetic energy recovery system
used in Formula One.

The energy can be used by the aircraft - for example when taxiing - without
needing to use their jet engines.

Due to the high frequency and short sector lengths of easyJet's operations,
around 4 per cent of the airline's total fuel consumed each year is used when
the airline's aircraft are taxiing
easyJet's aircraft average 20 minutes of taxi time per flight - the equivalent of
around four million miles a year - akin to travelling to the moon and back
eight times

Each aircraft would have power motors in their main wheels and power
electronics and system controllers would give pilots total control of the
aircraft's speed, direction and braking during taxi operations.

The system would therefore reduce, if not remove altogether, the need for
tugs to manoeuvre aircraft in and out of stands, delivering more efficient
turnaround times and increased on time performance.

the water produced as a waste product from the batteries would be discarded
or reused. it could be used for drinking and flushing toilets.

The airline hopes hybrid planes could save around 50,000 tonnes of fuel for
its fleet each year. This is equivalent to around $25 million to $35 million
(17 million to 24 million).

The energy can be used by the aircraft - for example when taxiing - without needing to use
their jet engines. Due to the high frequency and short sector lengths of easyJet's operations,
around 4 per cent of the airline's total fuel consumed each year is used when the airline's
aircraft are taxiing.

The fuel-cell stack generates power for the engine by fusing pressurized hydrogen stored in a
tank with oxygen from the air. During this process, electricity is created that is used to power
the motor for when the plane is driving on the ground.

The only byproduct of hydrogen fuel cells is water, which easyJet says they will use to refill
the plane's water supply.

In addition to drawing power from the hydrogen fuel cell, the plane will store the kinetic
energy from braking while landing. That energy will be used to power batteries in the plane
to keep it mobile.

This is a similar system to hydrogen-powered cars, which are also equipped with batteries to
aid in higher performance demands like acceleration.

On average, easyJet aircrafts accrue 4 million miles a year just from taxiing that's akin to
traveling to the moon and back eight times, the airline wrote in a press release.

FUEL CELL WORKS

 Fuel cells come in several forms, but all of them generate energy
without pollution.These cells convert hydrogen to electricity, meaning that
water would be the only by-product once combined with oxygen.Unlike
batteries, which store energy, fuel cells actively produce energy through
electrochemical conversion.

These devices use an external supply of fuel such as salt and water,
along with an oxidant, oxygen or air.In these products, the devices use a
proton exchange membrane (PEM) as an electrolyte, which carries
electrically charged ions between electrodes.They also use a catalyst to speed
up the reactions.Oxygen combines with the returning electrons and hydrogen
ions, and water is formed.