Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HERA (Hybrid-Electric Regional Architecture)
Période du rapport: 2023-07-01 au 2023-12-31
HERA will identify and trade-off the concept of a regional aircraft, its key architectures, develop required aircraft-level technologies and integrate the required enablers in order to meet the quantitative targeted performance gains defined in the SRIA chapter for an Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft and in the topic “HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2022-01-TRA-01 (referred to as TRA-01 hereafter): Aircraft architectures & technology integration for aircraft concepts ranging from regional to short-medium range applications”.
HERA proposal will span through the regional and up to short-range options allowed in the topic for the reason that the future regional aircraft, thought to operate by mid-2030 on, will contribute to mobility of people and goods over typical distances of less than 500 km. Four distinct but closely interacting aspects to consider.
• On one side, air-vehicles operating in those typical distances and operational environment are considered the first scheduled air transport system able to adopt in-service technologies ready for zero-emission, such as hybrid-electric propulsion, considering technology readiness and feasibility both for the air vehicle and for the infrastructures required to support their operations.
• On the other hand, any smaller typical flight distance will hardly be environmentally efficient and effective in terms of cost for an air vehicle in revenue service compared to surface transport: beyond energy consumption and trip time, it is a matter of flexibility of usage, simplicity of access to the transport means by passengers. For instance, high-speed rail on routes below 500 km requires heavy infrastructures that would be less competitive for their availability and costs by connections offered by regional air transport.
• Aerial regional connections do offer connectivity to passengers at reduced ground usage and infrastructure: regional aerial connections are a smart, safe and speedy mean to connect periphery and centre. It could be the only connection in case of natural barriers impossible or too expensive to overcome for collective and rapid surface transport means. A relevant field of application for the regional air transport are connections to/from remote zones or between islands and mainland.
• Finally, a typical regional trip requires that passengers enjoy connections easily interacting with other transport means and societal aspects. Relevant are frequency, safety, velocity and time-schedule at affordable price. All that implies an aircraft size approximately between 100 and 50 passengers that is both economically sustainable by operators and able to operate in small airports and rugged ground facilities.
The regional aircraft will then integrate technologies ready for entry into service by mid-2030, incorporating viable solutions to comply certification and interact with ground infrastructure. The aircraft will include hybrid-electric propulsion supported by 100% drop-in fuels or hydrogen whether fuel cells or H2 burning for the thermal power source, to reach up to 90% lower emissions while being fully compliant with ICAO noise rules.
The HERA proposal has two overall aims:
1. Definition of the potential hybrid-electric regional aircraft concept targeting 2035 EIS including key performance, architectures, features at aircraft level and those concerning hybrid-electric propulsion and related or complementary systems enabling such new propulsion and power sources.
2. Feasibility of the real-scale demonstrators -in-flight and on-ground- to be performed after 2025 in Clean Aviation supporting the hybrid-electric validation at high TRL of the widest set of solutions useful to support the next development of an actual regional aircraft.
HERA proposal will span through the regional and up to short-range options allowed in the topic for the reason that the future regional aircraft, thought to operate by mid-2030 on, will contribute to mobility of people and goods over typical distances of less than 500 km. Four distinct but closely interacting aspects to consider.
• On one side, air-vehicles operating in those typical distances and operational environment are considered the first scheduled air transport system able to adopt in-service technologies ready for zero-emission, such as hybrid-electric propulsion, considering technology readiness and feasibility both for the air vehicle and for the infrastructures required to support their operations.
• On the other hand, any smaller typical flight distance will hardly be environmentally efficient and effective in terms of cost for an air vehicle in revenue service compared to surface transport: beyond energy consumption and trip time, it is a matter of flexibility of usage, simplicity of access to the transport means by passengers. For instance, high-speed rail on routes below 500 km requires heavy infrastructures that would be less competitive for their availability and costs by connections offered by regional air transport.
• Aerial regional connections do offer connectivity to passengers at reduced ground usage and infrastructure: regional aerial connections are a smart, safe and speedy mean to connect periphery and centre. It could be the only connection in case of natural barriers impossible or too expensive to overcome for collective and rapid surface transport means. A relevant field of application for the regional air transport are connections to/from remote zones or between islands and mainland.
• Finally, a typical regional trip requires that passengers enjoy connections easily interacting with other transport means and societal aspects. Relevant are frequency, safety, velocity and time-schedule at affordable price. All that implies an aircraft size approximately between 100 and 50 passengers that is both economically sustainable by operators and able to operate in small airports and rugged ground facilities.
The regional aircraft will then integrate technologies ready for entry into service by mid-2030, incorporating viable solutions to comply certification and interact with ground infrastructure. The aircraft will include hybrid-electric propulsion supported by 100% drop-in fuels or hydrogen whether fuel cells or H2 burning for the thermal power source, to reach up to 90% lower emissions while being fully compliant with ICAO noise rules.
The HERA proposal has two overall aims:
1. Definition of the potential hybrid-electric regional aircraft concept targeting 2035 EIS including key performance, architectures, features at aircraft level and those concerning hybrid-electric propulsion and related or complementary systems enabling such new propulsion and power sources.
2. Feasibility of the real-scale demonstrators -in-flight and on-ground- to be performed after 2025 in Clean Aviation supporting the hybrid-electric validation at high TRL of the widest set of solutions useful to support the next development of an actual regional aircraft.
This document refers to technical activities performed in the HERA Project during the period 1 July to 31 December 2023.
In July the activity was mainly the finalization of deliverables D2.5 D2.8 D7.2 and D9.3 that slightly delayed from M6 and were released.
Q2 quarterly Report preparation and finalization was performed together with the First Progress Report, both Technical and Financial.
Project Progress Meetings PPB3 and PPB4 were held in September, with a face to face meeting in Bruxelles, and in December in webex. The meetings had the scope to monitor the overall status of activities with the participation of all WP Leaders, Task Leaders of WP9, Use Case Authorities, the Coordinator and the CAJU PO.
In October, the first Intermediate Progress Review Meeting was held in Bruxelles, where the overview of the HERA Project technical, management and financial status was provided to the Reviewers and the CAJU. The Reviewers provided a review report containing Recommendations for the Project to be answered in the next Review.
In WP2, Task 2.4 regarding Certification Requirements started with regular Task meetings held by Leonardo. In task 2.1 deliverable D2.2 regarding the First TLAR was updated implementing comments from PO and released.
WP3 activities progressed. Periodic meetings, at WP level and task level for 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 and 3.5 have been held with the creation of specific thematic working groups related to high voltage electric architecture and distribution, thermal management, heat dissipation of fuel cells. Tasks 3.1 and 3.2 started at M7, as the first is linked to the HERFUSE Project that will start at M13 and the second is linked to the HERWINGT project that was in a preliminary definition phase.
Activities started for WP4, periodic monthly meetings at WP level were performed by WP Leader, involving task leaders, partners and HE-ART and AMBER projects, to review and assess the compliance with the Propulsive Requirements.
In WP5, tasks 5.2 5.3 and 5.4 started their activities. In Task 5.1 the definition of Use Case A and Use Case B concepts progressed. In order to answer to a specific recommendation from the reviewers regarding the possible study of an ATR72 2035 concept, several meetings were held among Leonardo, ATR and Airbus with the participation of the CAJU PO, to discuss how to implement such study. ATR took the action to perform a gap analysis of ATR72 concept versus the technological and propulsive requirements.
In WP9, activities on Eco-Design started and task 9.2 continued the activities with the issue of the output D9.2.1 reporting the Sustainable Industrialization Status Year 1.
In task 9.3 the Impact Monitoring Status Year 1 was prepared and issued reporting the kpi’s evaluation for use case A and B compared with the reference values.
In July the activity was mainly the finalization of deliverables D2.5 D2.8 D7.2 and D9.3 that slightly delayed from M6 and were released.
Q2 quarterly Report preparation and finalization was performed together with the First Progress Report, both Technical and Financial.
Project Progress Meetings PPB3 and PPB4 were held in September, with a face to face meeting in Bruxelles, and in December in webex. The meetings had the scope to monitor the overall status of activities with the participation of all WP Leaders, Task Leaders of WP9, Use Case Authorities, the Coordinator and the CAJU PO.
In October, the first Intermediate Progress Review Meeting was held in Bruxelles, where the overview of the HERA Project technical, management and financial status was provided to the Reviewers and the CAJU. The Reviewers provided a review report containing Recommendations for the Project to be answered in the next Review.
In WP2, Task 2.4 regarding Certification Requirements started with regular Task meetings held by Leonardo. In task 2.1 deliverable D2.2 regarding the First TLAR was updated implementing comments from PO and released.
WP3 activities progressed. Periodic meetings, at WP level and task level for 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 and 3.5 have been held with the creation of specific thematic working groups related to high voltage electric architecture and distribution, thermal management, heat dissipation of fuel cells. Tasks 3.1 and 3.2 started at M7, as the first is linked to the HERFUSE Project that will start at M13 and the second is linked to the HERWINGT project that was in a preliminary definition phase.
Activities started for WP4, periodic monthly meetings at WP level were performed by WP Leader, involving task leaders, partners and HE-ART and AMBER projects, to review and assess the compliance with the Propulsive Requirements.
In WP5, tasks 5.2 5.3 and 5.4 started their activities. In Task 5.1 the definition of Use Case A and Use Case B concepts progressed. In order to answer to a specific recommendation from the reviewers regarding the possible study of an ATR72 2035 concept, several meetings were held among Leonardo, ATR and Airbus with the participation of the CAJU PO, to discuss how to implement such study. ATR took the action to perform a gap analysis of ATR72 concept versus the technological and propulsive requirements.
In WP9, activities on Eco-Design started and task 9.2 continued the activities with the issue of the output D9.2.1 reporting the Sustainable Industrialization Status Year 1.
In task 9.3 the Impact Monitoring Status Year 1 was prepared and issued reporting the kpi’s evaluation for use case A and B compared with the reference values.
At this stage of the project it is still early to show and prove results beyond the state of the art, specially being HERA's ambition such a challenge to be the first pursuing the hybrid-electric regional aircraft, supported also by full use of SAF and eventually hydrogen burning if feasible for the regional scale, as a realistic and operative aircraft at a real size, having a realistic payload of interest for operators and passengers, fulfilling the certification rules, and proposing solutions to operate it.
So work is in progress.
So work is in progress.