Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BLU-SPARK (The first Hybrid Power Unit Retrofit Solution for airplanes)
Reporting period: 2021-07-01 to 2022-09-30
The aerospace sector has historically emitted large amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere and energy seems to be the subject at the heart of many of the greatest issues and debates facing the world today. Although airplanes have become cleaner over time, they still represent a large portion of pollutant inventories and noxious emissions, and civil aviation represents over 13% of the global greenhouse emission caused by the transport sector.
In order to overcome the above mentioned problems, the BLU-SPARK project will offer the first modular parallel hybrid power unit to be mounted in new airplanes or as retrofit kit that will enable to increase considerably the airplanes safety by increasing at the same time the technical performances and decreasing the noxious emissions and the fuel consumption. The parallel Hybrid architecture is at present the most valuable transition to step from Internal combustion engines to full electric power units featuring at the same time more performances.
The developed hybrid airplane demonstrator features the same weight and more power of a high performing traditional ICE airplanes.
Project objectives
• To reduce fuel consumption and emissions (15% ÷ 20%).
• To increase flight safety (50% ÷ 75%)
- by enabling operating the airplane in case of failure of the ICE, using the electric motor as backup propulsion system;
- by increasing the airplane climbing rate adding the electric motor power to the ICE’s;
• To reduce emissions by flying the airplane in pure-electric propulsion mode with zero emissions and silent mode (100%);
• To increase the airplane range by utilising the energy stored in the batteries (15% ÷ 25%);
• To increase safety and durability of mechanical parts thanks to the electric motor contribution to the flight.
In order to overcome the above mentioned problems, the BLU-SPARK project will offer the first modular parallel hybrid power unit to be mounted in new airplanes or as retrofit kit that will enable to increase considerably the airplanes safety by increasing at the same time the technical performances and decreasing the noxious emissions and the fuel consumption. The parallel Hybrid architecture is at present the most valuable transition to step from Internal combustion engines to full electric power units featuring at the same time more performances.
The developed hybrid airplane demonstrator features the same weight and more power of a high performing traditional ICE airplanes.
Project objectives
• To reduce fuel consumption and emissions (15% ÷ 20%).
• To increase flight safety (50% ÷ 75%)
- by enabling operating the airplane in case of failure of the ICE, using the electric motor as backup propulsion system;
- by increasing the airplane climbing rate adding the electric motor power to the ICE’s;
• To reduce emissions by flying the airplane in pure-electric propulsion mode with zero emissions and silent mode (100%);
• To increase the airplane range by utilising the energy stored in the batteries (15% ÷ 25%);
• To increase safety and durability of mechanical parts thanks to the electric motor contribution to the flight.
The hybrid architecture has been defined and the several elements composing the hybrid aircraft have been developed (Hybrid power unit and gearbox).
The Dardo aircraft has been modified in order to be able to install the electric motor: this activity implied the analysis of the weight distribution and of the aerodynamic changes, and the adaptation of several aircraft commands.
Gearbox: in order to test in advance all the manufacturing and designing procedures and the performances of the gears, D4S designed the simulacrum gearbox that will be the focus of the Blu-Spark first testing activity, before the final test on the definitive gearbox, planned for the second period of the project.
Hybrid Power Unit: Efesto has carried during the first 15 months of the projects different modifications to the hybrid power unit deemed necessary after starting preliminary experimental tests of the complete system on the dedicated test bench built in Efesto laboratory. Several tests have been carried out, as well as modifications in the inverter software and in parameters in different fields.
A first activity on the qualification has been performed, preparing the field for the next steps where the first qualification ground tests will be carried out.
The Dardo aircraft has been modified in order to be able to install the electric motor: this activity implied the analysis of the weight distribution and of the aerodynamic changes, and the adaptation of several aircraft commands.
Gearbox: in order to test in advance all the manufacturing and designing procedures and the performances of the gears, D4S designed the simulacrum gearbox that will be the focus of the Blu-Spark first testing activity, before the final test on the definitive gearbox, planned for the second period of the project.
Hybrid Power Unit: Efesto has carried during the first 15 months of the projects different modifications to the hybrid power unit deemed necessary after starting preliminary experimental tests of the complete system on the dedicated test bench built in Efesto laboratory. Several tests have been carried out, as well as modifications in the inverter software and in parameters in different fields.
A first activity on the qualification has been performed, preparing the field for the next steps where the first qualification ground tests will be carried out.
To date, there is no hybrid airplane available on the market. After the introduction in 2015 during the Paris air show in le Bourget of the CFM-EFESTO DARDO first hybrid airplane ever exposed, some major aerospace companies and other smaller companies have started the development of hybrid solutions. Nevertheless, none of the concepts proposed adopts a parallel hybrid architecture but only series hybrid configuration have been presented so far with lack of technical specifications. The series hybrid configuration in a single propeller airplane presents several disadvantages in comparison with the parallel hybrid solution.
The exclusive selling points are: extra safety by redundancy of power generation, power boost increasing the airplane’s climbing rate, pure electric clean 0 emission fly mode when suitable (for example flying over the mountains), reduced fuel consumption, reduced vibration and longer life of mechanical components thanks to the active damping system.
Impact of BLU-SPARK
• BLU-SPARK project aims at bringing into market a hybrid power unit to be integrated in an airplane reducing as much as possible installation issues further enhancing their acceptance on the market enabling potential users to operate at 0 emissions respecting the environment and complying with upcoming legislations. This is expected to have a huge impact initially in the airplane industry. The hybrid power unit has been conceived to be also commercialized as retrofit kit on existing airplanes that need to replace the old internal combustion engine, enlarging significantly the overall aerospace sector emissions abatement.
• The BLU-SPARK hybrid technology will disrupt the current airplane market by strongly enhancing the airplane performances (as it happened with the Kers technology applied in Formula 1). At the same time offering new eco-friendly features (like zero emission modes), and overall emission abatement. The market is global, and will be always more demanding because of the adoption of the restricted regulations that will impose the limitation in the utilisation of the internal combustion engines
• The concept of the benefit to the environment is embedded in the project: the same for the social aspect, since better environmental conditions mean better quality of life. Scientific progress: the project is a step beyond the current state of play in the airplane sector
• According to the project implementation plan the consortium will be ready to produce and sell the BLU-SPARK hybrid airplane and the BLU-SPARK hybrid power unit starting two months after the project end and it is going to commercialize BLU-SPARK airplanes and Hybrid Power Units within the 12 months after the project end.
The exclusive selling points are: extra safety by redundancy of power generation, power boost increasing the airplane’s climbing rate, pure electric clean 0 emission fly mode when suitable (for example flying over the mountains), reduced fuel consumption, reduced vibration and longer life of mechanical components thanks to the active damping system.
Impact of BLU-SPARK
• BLU-SPARK project aims at bringing into market a hybrid power unit to be integrated in an airplane reducing as much as possible installation issues further enhancing their acceptance on the market enabling potential users to operate at 0 emissions respecting the environment and complying with upcoming legislations. This is expected to have a huge impact initially in the airplane industry. The hybrid power unit has been conceived to be also commercialized as retrofit kit on existing airplanes that need to replace the old internal combustion engine, enlarging significantly the overall aerospace sector emissions abatement.
• The BLU-SPARK hybrid technology will disrupt the current airplane market by strongly enhancing the airplane performances (as it happened with the Kers technology applied in Formula 1). At the same time offering new eco-friendly features (like zero emission modes), and overall emission abatement. The market is global, and will be always more demanding because of the adoption of the restricted regulations that will impose the limitation in the utilisation of the internal combustion engines
• The concept of the benefit to the environment is embedded in the project: the same for the social aspect, since better environmental conditions mean better quality of life. Scientific progress: the project is a step beyond the current state of play in the airplane sector
• According to the project implementation plan the consortium will be ready to produce and sell the BLU-SPARK hybrid airplane and the BLU-SPARK hybrid power unit starting two months after the project end and it is going to commercialize BLU-SPARK airplanes and Hybrid Power Units within the 12 months after the project end.