If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
NASA Distributed-Electric Propulsion 5 Times More Efficent, 30% Lower Cost
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NASA-X-Plane-Project-Moves-Forward-225089-1.html NASA X-Plane Project Moves Forward By Mary Grady A group of NASA engineers and private-sector partners working in California is moving forward with creating an X-Plane demonstrator they hope will prove the efficiency of using an array of small electric-powered propellers for general aviation aircraft. "This is a really important demonstrator for us," NASA's Mark Moore, the leader of the research team, told AVweb http://www.avweb.com/podcast/Podcast-NASAs-All-Electric-X-Plane-225090-1.html. "There hasn't been a manned NASA X-plane for about 30 years. This is going to be the first manned aircraft powered by distributed generation, so it's going to be very meaningful." Moore said he believes the three-year, $15-million project http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NASAs-Electric-Airplane-Project-Moves-Forward-223711-1.html will prove that the distributed-electric propulsion system can achieve up to five times greater efficiency than conventional systems, with 30 percent lower operating costs. Moore said a lot has been going on since the project began about a year ago, including local ground testing at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, detailed design work for the wing and propellers, and building a custom electric motor. They are just about to buy a Tecnam 2006T, and they will remove the wing and replace it with their own wing and motors and an array of small propellers. "We're really focusing in on distributed electric propulsion as a key technology," he said. "Every one of us is just incredibly motivated to make this happen … Seeing these analysis results, you just can't help but be excited because the changes are so large." Their research so far is predicting that a series of small motors distributed along the wing can improve aircraft efficiency by 50 percent, compared to using a single electric motor as a direct replacement for a reciprocating engine. Flight testing with the Tecnam is scheduled for September or October in 2017. Using currently available technology, Moore said he expects the aircraft will be capable of about a 200-nm range. "The batteries are constraining the practicality of this technology," he said. "But it seems credible that within five to seven years batteries will be about twice as good as what we're using now." And even a 200-nm range could make the technology useful for many operators, he said. Commuter airline Cape Air, for example, operates a fleet of Cessna 402s on routes shorter than 220 nm. Eventually, Moore said, he hopes to expand the project to develop VTOL aircraft, which he says would maximize the technology's potential for efficiency and usefulness. "That's where things get really exciting," he said. Small VTOL aircraft, with two to four seats, using this technology could accomplish the same tasks as a helicopter, with 10 times the efficiency. "They could make helicopters irrelevant and completely obsolete," he said. A team headed by NASA engineer Mark Moore plans to fly a modified Tecnam P2006T driven by an array of small propellers powered by electric batteries. Moore explains to AVweb's Mary Grady how this project could completely upend the design rules for GA aircraft of the future http://cdn.avweb.com/media/podcast/2015-10-29_MarkMoore-BatteryPropelledXPlane.mp3 |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
NASA's Electric Airplane Project Moves Forward | Larry Dighera | Piloting | 5 | March 24th 15 09:59 PM |
best self-launcher propulsion system? | key[_2_] | Soaring | 35 | January 17th 12 04:50 PM |
Tips on Getting Your Instrument Rating Sooner and at Lower Cost | Fred | Instrument Flight Rules | 21 | October 19th 04 07:31 AM |
Tips on Getting Your Instrument Rating Sooner and at Lower Cost | Fred | Piloting | 16 | October 19th 04 07:31 AM |
Handicapping distributed competitions | tango4 | Soaring | 1 | December 1st 03 12:25 PM |