Electrical Distribution Solutions for Hybrid-electric Regional Aircraft

Closed

Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

EuroHPC JOINT UNDERTAKING

Programme Description

The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (hereinafter “EuroHPC JU”), will contribute to the ambition of value creation in the Union with the overall mission to develop, deploy, extend and maintain in the Union an integrated world class supercomputing and quantum computing infrastructure and to develop and support a highly competitive and innovative High Performance Computing (HPC) ecosystem, extreme scale, power-efficient and highly resilient HPC and data technologies.

Programme Details

Identifier Code

HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2022-01-HER-03

Call

Electrical Distribution Solutions for Hybrid-electric Regional Aircraft

Summary

Greater attention to environmental aspects and higher market demand are changing the scenario of air mobility in the short range, centred on 500 km and up to 1000km. Air vehicles (as defined in CS25/FAR25) operating in this range and operational environment are considered the first application in the scheduled air transport system that will adopt hybrid-electric propulsion technologies and associated complementary solutions for reducing the environmental footprint, toward climate-neutral aviation. Air vehicles operating at smaller distances or on thinner routes will also benefit from electric propulsion solutions tested on regional aircraft testbeds, by sharing the development of power modules and making use of different approaches to air vehicle integration.

Detailed Call Description

The project may explore different configurations, which shall be described in detail (justification, targeted advantages, anticipated drawbacks, anticipated challenges, possible adaptations, risks, etc.) and compared in terms of potential and the most promising option selected.

New hybrid-electric propulsion concepts and the associated introduction of their electrical architecture and technologies require innovative and disruptive solutions to reduce the electrical distribution network weight and volume while complying with functional and safety requirements. Depending on the sizing and degree of hybridization, total power of the hybrid-electric propulsion concept is expected to range from 4 to 10 MW. Any single electrical channel shall manage an electric power (for propulsive system and other systems) of 500 kW – 1 MW minimum with a specific power management to address safety and certification requirements.

The project shall propose a qualification and certification plan suitable to HER aircraft. It shall support Clean Aviation initiatives to define new certification or qualification rules as well as new standardisation efforts concerning the areas of the project and others related to them.

A number of top-level goals at system level will be the basis for performance targets, in particular:

  • Minimum overall weight of the advanced electrical distribution system (weight penalty <20% compared to 2020 SoA with conventional technology);
  • High thermal/energy efficiency (>95%)
  • Minimum surface-area-to-volume-ratio or any relevant size-related parameter target:
    consistent with aircraft and systems requirements and constraints (including architecture /
    installation / thermal aspects).

Call Total Budget

€40 million

Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan

70%

Thematic Categories

  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Other Services
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation

Eligibility for Participation

  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
  • Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Eligibility For Participation Notes

Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, legal entities established in Russia, Belarus or in any occupied territory of Ukraine are not eligible to participate in any capacity.

Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons, such as for humanitarian purposes, civil society support or people-to-people contacts.

The consortium should include newcomers to the field of aeronautics and in particular SMEs, start-ups and/or knowledge centres that can bring disruptive innovation to the project as proposed.

Call Opening Date

12/04/2022

Call Closing Date

23/06/2022

EU Contact Point

EuroHPC JU

info@eurohpc-ju.europa.eu

(Publish Date: 11/05/2022-for internal use only)