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Wörth am Main | November 2024 Researchers at the Technical University of Braunschweig and Oswald Elektromotoren GmbH have reported successful tests of an all-electric propulsion system for regional aircraft. The project, funded by the BMWK as part of the aviation research programme, could provide important impetus for the future of electric aviation, according to a press release.
According to a press release, the fully electric propulsion system for regional aircraft has been specially designed for so-called "distributed electric propulsion". In contrast to traditional concepts with a few large propulsion units, this solution relies on numerous smaller propellers. This has various aerodynamic advantages and increases redundancy in the drive train. The distributed propulsion system can distribute the power across the remaining propellers in the event of a drive failure, thereby increasing safety in flight. According to the researchers, the ability to use smaller electric motors efficiently reduces the overall installed power in the aircraft.
The researchers state that the newly developed propulsion system has undergone extensive testing in the wind tunnel. It consists of an electric synchronous motor, a SiC inverter, a specially tuned propeller and an optimised cooling circuit. The motor works as an external rotor with direct oil cooling and achieves an efficiency of 98 % according to the study results. The integrated SiC inverter has a modular design and is optimised for high switching frequencies, which further increases the efficiency of the overall system. This means that the new SiC semiconductors can achieve efficiencies of over 99 per cent. This is a prerequisite for the high performance requirements in aviation.
According to the authors of the study, the system is also designed to be lightweight and compact: The propeller is designed in such a way that it can be mounted along the wings of a regional aircraft in 12-fold configuration to achieve maximum efficiency with minimum space requirements. According to the press release, the electric drive can be integrated with minimal installation effort and could be operated with a voltage of 1,000 V in the future. The researchers are convinced that this system could lay the foundations for future electric aircraft, particularly for models that combine high efficiency and low emissions.
