Hybrid ElectriC regional Aircraft distribution TEchnologies

Project Information

HECATE

Grant agreement ID: 101101961

DOI

10.3030/101101961

Project closed

EC signature date 9 December 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 28 February 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 45 061 246,59

EU contribution

€ 34 142 633,59

Coordinated by

COLLINS AEROSPACE IRELAND, LIMITED
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - HECATE (Hybrid ElectriC regional Aircraft distribution TEchnologies)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

HECATE is a Clean Aviation project dedicated to the definition of a next generation electrical distribution for hybrid electric aircraft under the regional pillar. HECATE has six main objectives:
1. Development of a holistically optimized electrical architecture
2. Technology brick development to TRL5
3. Mitigation of HV phenomena and EMI
4. Development of digital twins
5. Certification of the electrical distribution
6. Technology roadmap toward near- and long-term electrical architectures.
These objectives contribute to the development of technologies that enable the path toward long-term roadmaps such as that of Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE). Flightpath 2050 sets specific goals such as 75% reduction of CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre and 90% reduction of NOx.
To meet these ambitious targets for commercial aerospace, both in terms of fuel efficiency and supply demand, a step change is needed by drastically shifting towards electric/hybrid-electric propulsion technologies that will significantly reduce the fuel burn.
This will lead to transformative technology bricks, which are holistically optimized at system integration architecture level. The HECATE project will demonstrate a >500 kW architecture in a copper bird test facility in 2025.
HECATE mobilizes a large consortium spread over 12 countries and unites Europe’s industry leaders on power distribution systems as well as small companies, research and university partners, which also ensures knowledge gained is embedded in future research and education programs.
To create awareness and facilitate a communication and dissemination channel with the general public, a webpage has been created where a description of the project, news and benefits of EU-funded R&I activities in aircraft electrification will be published and accessible.
Please join our community to find more about HECATE at https://hecate-project.eu/.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In 2023, HECATE finalized the top-level requirement definition moving to the design and prototyping phase of the technology bricks towards a TRL4 maturation. The setting and requirement phase defines the tools for efficient collaboration between partners and the baseline requirements that will define the architecture and the design of the technology bricks. During this first period, HECATE has achieved the next key milestones:
• The definition of the top-level requirements and the electrical distribution architecture.
• The definition of a validation and verification strategy towards the final validation in a test bench (copper bird) at the end of 2025.
• The definition of interactions with other Clean Aviation programs.
• The implementation of tools, mechanisms, and rules for the collaboration of all partners. With both a legal framework defined, and an operational process outlined.

During 2024 and after finalizing the top-level requirement definition, HECATE has successfully conducted all Preliminary Design Reviews for its different technology bricks. The efforts during the year were centered around the final design and prototyping of the technologies that form the electrical architecture with a focus on preparing and conducting all Critical Design Reviews towards the testing phase.
The project is now progressing to the integration of its different components where the technology bricks will be tested in junction, achieving a TRL5 electrical architecture capable of addressing the needs of future hybrid-electrics platforms by the end of 2026.
During the second year, HECATE has achieved below milestones:
• PDR passed for all technology bricks under HECATE architecture.
• Critical design review conducted for Primary Distribution, Power Management and Secondary Distribution.
• Progress on the Electrical Architecture Digital Twin by finalized digital models of the different technology bricks.
• Initial batch of cables capable of addressing the high voltage requirements successfully manufactured.
• Initial scalability studies on HECATE technologies towards different platforms.
• Ad-hoc review passed, testimony of project progress towards its objectives.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In terms of technology development, by the end of the project HECATE should achieve an electrical distribution of at least 500 kW that will:
• Minimize the weight penalty of the electrical distribution. Accounting for both technological management and energy management improvements.
• Maximize overall power distribution efficiency.
• Optimize individual technologies to achieve higher power to weight and power to volume ratios.
• Optimize the electrical power management to reduce the power consumption.
This technology development will enable higher level impact that can be grouped in two major pillars:
• Industrial competitiveness and economy impacts:
o Changes to the aviation ecosystem. (e.g. organisations moving to another supply chain tier position, newcomers embedded into the ecosystem, new and more jobs).
o Changes to the power network work force in terms of skill set and education programs.
o Increasing the innovation capacity of project partners and wider community.
o Stakeholder engagement from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to wider supply chain.

• Environmental and societal impacts.
o Fostering a sector-wide coherent response strategy to comply with EU policies targeting aviation’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
HECATE will contribute to major industrial, environmental and societal changes by developing technologies considering their life cycle analysis. These are important points to impact the Clean Aviation program with an electrical distribution that is ready to be exploited and implemented in the phase 2 of Clean Aviation.

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