Electrical Environmental Control Systems (E-ECS) feature many low power electromechanical actuators to ensure control and tuning of items such as high temperature valves of electrical systems in future airplanes. They also include motorized turbomachines with power electrical motors.
The aim of the Clean Sky 2 project HTcoils and its partners (HPW High Performance Wires, PEAK Technology and Coordinator LKR Leichtmetallkompetenzzentrum Ranshofen) was the development of a high-temperature resistant material combination (high performance wires, impregnating varnishes and potting resins) for coils being used in high temperature loaded environments. Besides required materials development it was further goal to manufacture sufficient wire materials for sub-assembly coils tests, final demonstration and qualification of high temperature coil systems and to test their functionality in electromagnet actuators for different applications in an aeronautic E-ECS.
The developed solutions in HTcoils contribute to the overall Sustainability Goals of the Green Deal as higher temperature coils allow its application in higher temperature working environments. As such, these can use waste heat streams of i.e. aeronautic gas turbines in a far better way which in turn leads to the efficiency increase of heat/energy management systems of airplanes. This can be used two-fold: A) Less energy is mandatory to achieve equal performance, B) actuators (multiple are in one airplane) can be designed and produced lighter which reduces the overall mass of airplanes and hence reduces fuel burn and CO2-Emissions. HTcoils results will be one of many mosaic pieces contributing to clean aviation in the future.
The main objectives of the research project were:
• to develop specific wires, impregnating varnishes and potting ingredients (resins) to have complete solutions for high temperature coil and qualify these ingredients
• to manufacture high temperature coils with these ingredients, integrate them in the Topic Manager’s defined application and demonstrate that the solutions proposed can be industrialized
• All solutions must comply with aeronautical constraints (electrical, vibration, lifetime, manufacturing process, etc.) according to RTCA/DO-160
Research results of HTcoils underline and demonstrate that the proposed materials systems and processing routes do lead to a significantly raised performance of actuator coils. The consortium was able to demonstrate this at laboratory environment. Topic Manager Liebherr will demonstrate functionalities in tests using appropriate loading scenarios at relevant working environment.
Conclusions: The developments of HTcoils have led to an increased thermal like index (TRI) of 274°C (+14% compared to threshold). If 300°C can be achieved will be tested by the topic manager using environmental relevant test scenarios. A set of 5 function demonstrator coils were manufactured for tests at Liebherr´s test facilities. The raised TRI will allow for a significant improvement of actuator performance, use them at hotter locations in waste heat streams in order to use waste heat in a more efficient manner. In turn, actuators can be designed smaller hence lighter. As a consequence, CO2-emissions can be saved to a significant extent over the 30-year lifetime of an aircraft.
