Aircraft Electrification

Speaker: Dr Cuauhtemoc Rodriguez (Ultra Electronics)

The aeronautical industry is undergoing a transformation to address the demands from our society to reduce its environmental impact. More specifically, there is a drive to eliminate emissions and noise pollution from airports near urban areas. One approach pursued by most small and large aircraft manufacturers is the electrification of aircraft systems, from propulsion and distribution to actuation.

By removing fuel and hydraulic systems, and some parts of the pneumatic and mechanical systems, aircraft become more efficient and reliable. However, some challenges remain and full electrification is likely to come in stages as technologies evolve and mature. In the short term, actuation systems are likely to become fully electric, whilst propulsion systems are likely to take longer due to the need to carry large battery banks.

A compromise can be found in hybrid-electric systems where electric propulsion is used for take-off and landing and conventional propulsion is used for cruising. Nevertheless, small commuter aircraft are taking the lead in achieving full electrification and they will most likely pave the road for medium and larger aircraft.
This presentation looks at the state of the art on aircraft electrification and the roadmap ahead of us.

This webinar is open to everyone. Joining details will be emailed nearer to the date of the event.

Please make a booking at communities.theiet.org/communities/events/item/229/77/24939. 

This talk is part of the IET series.