RTX’s hybrid-electric plane is one step closer with a key engine power-up sequence.
In a test cell at a Pratt & Whitney Canada facility on the outskirts of Montreal, RTX has completed a key power-up sequence for its hybrid-electric flight demonstrator, based on a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 regional turboprop aircraft.
The demonstrator combines an advanced fuel-burning thermal engine from Pratt & Whitney with a 1-megawatt electric motor built by Collins Aerospace and a 200-kilowatt-hour battery system from the startup H55.
A special gear system connects the two and keeps the propeller turning, whether the power comes from the engine, the motor, or both.
The motor will get its energy from a battery pack with a 200-kilowatt hour capacity - enough to power the average American home for nearly a week.
The thermal engine will power the plane during cruise, and the electric motor will do most of its work by helping with the taxi stage, as well as the power-intensive flight modes of takeoff and climb.
The parallel hybrid-electric system aims to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by 30% compared to modern regional turboprops.
The project is supported by the Canadian federal government and provincial government of Quebec along with a range of partners across industry and academia.
David Venditti, Pratt & Whitney's program manager for the demonstrator, said:
"Pratt & Whitney is the quintessential thermal engine maker, and Collins Aerospace is the quintessential aircraft system supplier on the planet," "There's no other place really in the world where we have all of those experts and resources coming to bear and developing a technology like this."
Thermal engines convert only about 30% to 40% of their fuel to useful energy - the rest is lost to heat or friction between moving parts.
Electrical systems are more efficient, converting more than 90% of their energy into mechanical power.
The Collins Aerospace team worked with the RTX Technology Research Center to use novel materials for lighter parts, and they incorporated wide band-gap semiconductors and magnet technologies that provide more power than traditional solutions without adding weight.
Over the next year, the RTX Hybrid-Electric Demonstrator team will continue ground testing and begin working with AeroTEC in Moses Lake, Washington, to install hardware on the aircraft.
As they prepare for their first flight, they'll meet the same rigorous safety standards that they would for certification while setting precedents for new standards, which will provide valuable insights for future projects.
