Barriers and Challenges Going from Conventional to Cryogenic Superconducting Propulsion for Hybrid and All-Electric Aircrafts

The development of electric aircraft is becoming an important technology for achieving the goals set by the European Commission for the reduction of gases emissions by 2050 in the aeronautical transportation system. However, there is a technology gap between the current values of specific power in c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energies (Basel) 2021-11, Vol.14 (21), p.6861
Main Authors: da Silva, Francisco Ferreira, Fernandes, João F. P., da Costa Branco, Paulo Jose
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aeronautics
Aircraft
all-electric aircraft
Commercial aircraft
Cooling
Efficiency
Electric power
electrical machines
Electricity distribution
Energy resources
Fly by wire control
Generators
hybrid-electric aircraft
Jet engines
Noise
Powertrain
propulsion design
Propulsion systems
Redesign
review
Reviews
superconducting machines
Superconductivity
Technology
Topology
Transportation systems
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Summary:The development of electric aircraft is becoming an important technology for achieving the goals set by the European Commission for the reduction of gases emissions by 2050 in the aeronautical transportation system. However, there is a technology gap between the current values of specific power in commercial electric machines and those required for aeronautical applications. Therefore, the search for alternative materials and non-conventional designs is mandatory. One emergent solution is using superconducting machines and systems to overcome the current limits of conventional electrical machines. This work reviews the new hybrid and all-electric aircraft tendencies, complementing it with recent research on the design and development of high specific power superconducting machines. This includes the main topologies for hybrid and all-electric aircraft, with an overview of the ongoing worldwide projects of these aircraft types, systematizing the main characteristics of their propulsion systems. It also includes the research on superconducting machines to achieve high specific power and consider the impact on the redesign of aircraft systems, the electrical, cooling, and fuel source systems.
ISSN:1996-1073
1996-1073
DOI:10.3390/en14216861