Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FASTRIP2050 (FAST Rotorcraft societal Integration and Performance assessments 2050)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-10-01 bis 2023-12-31
Within CS2, the focus of and investment in the Fast Rotorcraft IADP clearly demonstrates the importance of the rotorcraft and its application in the future. The objectives of CS2 have been to field innovative rotorcraft concepts with the capability to reduce CO2, NOX, and noise emissions compared to “state-of-the-art” rotorcraft architectures.
FASTRIP2050 contributed to the CS2 objectives by undertaking performance, environmental, and socio-economic impact assessments for advanced future fast rotorcraft configurations. The assessments were undertaken at airport and Air Traffic System levels, aiming to quantify improvements that may be accrued through the replacement of reference technology over designated time scales. Within the scope of the project and as part of the TE, the project was positioned to assess CS2 Fast Rotorcraft (FRC) technologies and hence includes Airbus Helicopter’s compound rotorcraft, the Rapid and Cost-Effective Rotorcraft (RACER) and Leonardo Helicopter’s tilt-rotor aircraft, the Next Generation Civil Tilt-Rotorcraft (NGCTR) and compares them with reference technology.
The overall objectives were:
Utilisation of updated OEM models for fast rotorcraft concepts for further analysis.
Modelling of generic fast rotorcraft concepts with further developmental activity to create hybrid electric and larger passenger capacity variants.
Environmental impact assessments of FRCs on gaseous emission levels and noise over realistic missions.
Mobility impact assessments to establish connectivity and productivity improvements.
Assessments at Airport and ATS level to establish benefits that may be accrued from the utilisation of novel FRCs over other modes of transport.
FASTRIP2050 contributed to the CS2 objectives by undertaking performance, environmental, and socio-economic impact assessments for advanced future fast rotorcraft configurations. The assessments were undertaken at airport and Air Traffic System levels, aiming to quantify improvements that may be accrued through the replacement of reference technology over designated time scales. Within the scope of the project and as part of the TE, the project was positioned to assess CS2 Fast Rotorcraft (FRC) technologies and hence includes Airbus Helicopter’s compound rotorcraft, the Rapid and Cost-Effective Rotorcraft (RACER) and Leonardo Helicopter’s tilt-rotor aircraft, the Next Generation Civil Tilt-Rotorcraft (NGCTR) and compares them with reference technology.
The overall objectives were:
Utilisation of updated OEM models for fast rotorcraft concepts for further analysis.
Modelling of generic fast rotorcraft concepts with further developmental activity to create hybrid electric and larger passenger capacity variants.
Environmental impact assessments of FRCs on gaseous emission levels and noise over realistic missions.
Mobility impact assessments to establish connectivity and productivity improvements.
Assessments at Airport and ATS level to establish benefits that may be accrued from the utilisation of novel FRCs over other modes of transport.
During the period under review the consortium has:
Introduced and modelled new conceptual generic reference helicopters (Twin Engine Heavy Baseline, TEH-B) for the NGCTR assessments and the TESM (Twin Engine Super Medium TESM) for the RACER assessments.
Improved European Multi-modal Mobility Analysis (EMMA) resulting in accelerated execution times and extending its capability for mobility assessments in new regions in North America, South America, and Asia.
Defined mission scenarios (five airport level scenarios, one ATS level scenario) for the NGCTR and RACER assessments.
Quantified fuel burn and gaseous emissions for the NGCTR and RACER and resultant changes relative to the reference technology through detailed mission analysis based on the mission scenarios selected.
Defined top-level requirements (TLR), reference fixed-wing aircraft and reference missions for the large capacity rotorcraft (tiltrotor and compound).
Defined realistic use-case mission scenarios for large capacity rotorcraft, including flights comparable with regional fixed-wing aircraft and new routes that cannot be operated at present by regional aircraft.
Sizing of the large capacity fast rotorcraft (tilt-rotor and compound) design specifications and construction of simulation models using in-house tools.
Developed and verified the reference fixed-wing aircraft performance and emissions models of an ATR72-600 that will be used for comparison with the large capacity rotorcraft.
Developed and verified performance and emissions models for the fast, large tiltrotor craft (FLT) to enable assessments across realistic mission scenarios.
Developed and verified performance and emissions models for the fast, large compound (FLC) to enable assessments across realistic mission scenarios.
Improved rotorcraft modelling capability to enable hybrid-electric propulsion system design and assessment allowing for feasibility study performed of hybrid electric variants of the large capacity rotorcraft.
Quantified fuel burn and gaseous emissions for the large capacity rotorcraft over a typical mission and compared against the reference aircraft (ATR72-600)
The NGCTR and RACER mobility analysis was finalised using the European Multi-modal Mobility Analysis (EMMA) tool.
The FLT and FLC mobility analyses were performed using the European Multi-modal Mobility Analysis (EMMA) tool.
Noise analysis was performed comparing the RACER against the TESM and the NGCTR against the AW139 and TEH-B
Introduced and modelled new conceptual generic reference helicopters (Twin Engine Heavy Baseline, TEH-B) for the NGCTR assessments and the TESM (Twin Engine Super Medium TESM) for the RACER assessments.
Improved European Multi-modal Mobility Analysis (EMMA) resulting in accelerated execution times and extending its capability for mobility assessments in new regions in North America, South America, and Asia.
Defined mission scenarios (five airport level scenarios, one ATS level scenario) for the NGCTR and RACER assessments.
Quantified fuel burn and gaseous emissions for the NGCTR and RACER and resultant changes relative to the reference technology through detailed mission analysis based on the mission scenarios selected.
Defined top-level requirements (TLR), reference fixed-wing aircraft and reference missions for the large capacity rotorcraft (tiltrotor and compound).
Defined realistic use-case mission scenarios for large capacity rotorcraft, including flights comparable with regional fixed-wing aircraft and new routes that cannot be operated at present by regional aircraft.
Sizing of the large capacity fast rotorcraft (tilt-rotor and compound) design specifications and construction of simulation models using in-house tools.
Developed and verified the reference fixed-wing aircraft performance and emissions models of an ATR72-600 that will be used for comparison with the large capacity rotorcraft.
Developed and verified performance and emissions models for the fast, large tiltrotor craft (FLT) to enable assessments across realistic mission scenarios.
Developed and verified performance and emissions models for the fast, large compound (FLC) to enable assessments across realistic mission scenarios.
Improved rotorcraft modelling capability to enable hybrid-electric propulsion system design and assessment allowing for feasibility study performed of hybrid electric variants of the large capacity rotorcraft.
Quantified fuel burn and gaseous emissions for the large capacity rotorcraft over a typical mission and compared against the reference aircraft (ATR72-600)
The NGCTR and RACER mobility analysis was finalised using the European Multi-modal Mobility Analysis (EMMA) tool.
The FLT and FLC mobility analyses were performed using the European Multi-modal Mobility Analysis (EMMA) tool.
Noise analysis was performed comparing the RACER against the TESM and the NGCTR against the AW139 and TEH-B
The novel rotorcraft technologies developed within CS2 have significant potential in contributing to the overall objectives and targets of Flightpath 2050. However, limited assessments are available to clearly define the potential of FRC in reducing environmental impact, or the specific socio-economic benefits at the airport and ATS level. The progress beyond the current state-of-the-art in research has been in undertaking and presenting such analysis and assessments. This has been achieved through further development and integration of existing modelling capability, to achieve reliable and robust impact assessments. In terms of the approach and methods used, notable progress has been made in the innovation, customization, and utilization of multi-disciplinary simulation tools to achieve the required objectives.
Key impacts of the project:
Environmental impact: The impact of the project is the quantification of the potential (fuel and environmental impact) of future fast rotorcraft relative to reference technology. The analysis undertaken using advanced performance simulation models has enabled the quantification of the role of rotorcraft in achieving the requisite environmental targets. This has been described in detail in Project Deliverables 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 where results on fuel and gaseous emissions at airport and ATS levels were presented. Additionally, the results have been presented in the Clean Aviation TE Annual Review assessments (2021, 2022, and 2023), at EASN2022 (Saias et al., 2022), and at ERF2023 (Leclerck et al., 2023).
Socio-economic impact: In terms of socio-economic impact, the studies were extended to a global level. This contributes to establishing the role of the novel rotorcraft technology in meeting market and societal needs through transportation and economic efficiency improvements. Through the utilisation of the European Multi-modal Mobility Analysis model, the project quantified the improvements of the introduction of the FRC concepts in terms of mobility.
Maintaining and Extending Industrial Leadership: The tools developed within the consortium have enabled assessments at airport and ATS levels that allow contributing further to existing industrial knowledge and technology. The work has aided the research in a continuation project on rotorcraft assessments with the TE in CS2 (FASTRIP2050) by providing a robust platform of modelling techniques and frameworks. The extension of the tools to model conceptual large capacity compound and tilt-rotor rotorcraft will provide new insight into the feasibility and potential of those. FASTRIP2050 has continued supporting the establishment of the Fast Rotorcraft IADP, and the Regional Aircraft IADP, to leverage cooperation between industry, academia and research establishments to achieve research excellence. By establishing the effectiveness of future rotorcraft concepts through impact assessments the work continues to provide insight into the future direction of research, thereby contributing to the competitiveness of the European aviation industry.
Key impacts of the project:
Environmental impact: The impact of the project is the quantification of the potential (fuel and environmental impact) of future fast rotorcraft relative to reference technology. The analysis undertaken using advanced performance simulation models has enabled the quantification of the role of rotorcraft in achieving the requisite environmental targets. This has been described in detail in Project Deliverables 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 where results on fuel and gaseous emissions at airport and ATS levels were presented. Additionally, the results have been presented in the Clean Aviation TE Annual Review assessments (2021, 2022, and 2023), at EASN2022 (Saias et al., 2022), and at ERF2023 (Leclerck et al., 2023).
Socio-economic impact: In terms of socio-economic impact, the studies were extended to a global level. This contributes to establishing the role of the novel rotorcraft technology in meeting market and societal needs through transportation and economic efficiency improvements. Through the utilisation of the European Multi-modal Mobility Analysis model, the project quantified the improvements of the introduction of the FRC concepts in terms of mobility.
Maintaining and Extending Industrial Leadership: The tools developed within the consortium have enabled assessments at airport and ATS levels that allow contributing further to existing industrial knowledge and technology. The work has aided the research in a continuation project on rotorcraft assessments with the TE in CS2 (FASTRIP2050) by providing a robust platform of modelling techniques and frameworks. The extension of the tools to model conceptual large capacity compound and tilt-rotor rotorcraft will provide new insight into the feasibility and potential of those. FASTRIP2050 has continued supporting the establishment of the Fast Rotorcraft IADP, and the Regional Aircraft IADP, to leverage cooperation between industry, academia and research establishments to achieve research excellence. By establishing the effectiveness of future rotorcraft concepts through impact assessments the work continues to provide insight into the future direction of research, thereby contributing to the competitiveness of the European aviation industry.