PDF Details – PEAL Technical Speaker-9July2018

Subject Superconducting/cryogenic technologies for hybrid-electric aerospace propulsion

Who Prof. Alexander C. “Sandy” Smith; School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Abstract There is significantly growing interest in hybrid-electric technologies for aerospace application. This can extend from low-level ‘more-electrification’ to improve efficiency, flexibility, and controllability to high-level ‘hybrid-electric’ concepts that use electrical machine propulsion (multiple-fan concepts) with gas turbines now driving the generators that provide the propulsion power. Several recent studies of hybrid-electric aerospace concepts have shown that these could be feasible using today’s technologies for small aircraft. The key performance targets for electrical machine propulsion in aerospace are efficiency and high power densities. For scale-up to larger platforms, there needs to be a significant step-change in the electrical machine power densities as well as improving efficiencies. One of the key technologies that could potentially create a step change is superconductivity. Superconductivity is still an immature technology for aerospace application, but it is developing. There are certainly challenges but it has the potential to build superconducting machines with power densities significantly higher than the latest machine technologies – from existing technologies at 20kW/kg to the aerospace targets of 50+ kW/kg.