Aerospace engineers from the University of Illinois are working to design a fully functional hybrid-electric airplane. They believe this new technology will be faster, safer, and dramatically cut down on our reliance on old-fashioned fossil fuel. However, this new technology comes with its fair share of complications and issues, which the scientists are determined to overcome.
“Jet fuel and aviation gasoline are easy to store on an airplane. They are compact and lightweight when compared to the amount of energy they provide. Unfortunately, the actual combustion process is very inefficient. We’re harnessing only a small fraction of that energy but we currently don’t have electrical storage systems that can compete with that.”
Although adding batteries to the aircraft would help the planes fly farther in theory, there’s an obvious drawback to this solution: namely, it would make the aircraft heavier. Instead, scientists constructed a series of simulations designed to mimic the performance of a hybrid-electric aircraft. This allowed them to see what would work to improve the aircraft — and just as important, what would hinder their progress.
Scientists created a flight-performance simulator to help with the research and give them an accurate representation of the aircraft in flight. The simulator took the ‘aircraft’ through takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and landing. Scientists ensured it had enough reserves to meet FAA regulations, just as if it was an actual flight. Different transition segments were incorporated into the simulation to mimic the experience of a real flight.
Once the simulator was configured for baseline performances, scientists constructed a parallel hybrid drivetrain which was then integrated into the system. Scientists were able to compare the differences in sensitivity of range and fuel economy as well as electrification, electric motor power density, and battery specific energy density.
The results of these tests were impressive. Scientists learned that the hybrid-electric drivetrain showed significant improvements over traditional aircraft in terms of fuel efficiency. Fuel efficiency improvements were the most significant during short-range flights, gradually diminishing as the length of the flight increased.
Scientists believe this research will be of significant help as they continue to design and implement hybrid-electric aircraft. They intend to continue running simulations to help determine the best way to take these ideas and finally see them soar.
