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In part two of a two-part series, Richard Gardner discusses various aerospace propulsion innovations and continued work by aerospace engineers and scientists to advance aircraft engine technologies to increase efficiency and lower emissions.

Hundreds of aerospace executives, engineers, scientists, and academics are gathering in London this week for Aerospace Systems and Technology Conference (ASTC) 2018 from SAE International in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. Discussions during the three-day industry event center on the theme of innovating air mobility. Aerospace thought leaders are at ASTC discussing current challenges, the latest enabling technologies, and future opportunities, including those related to urban air mobility (UAM) and supersonic aircraft.

Electronic controls slash engine fuel needs

Officials at GE Aviation and Teradata are expanding their partnership to provide airlines with a framework that combines Teradata’s high-performance analytics in the cloud from with GE Aviation’s edge-connectivity services. Markets and Markets Research estimates the aviation analytics market is a $2.16 billion industry that will grow to an estimated $4.23 billion by 2021.

After taking off on July 11 in Arizona, the Zephyr S unmanned aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space logged a maiden flight of over 25 days – the longest-duration flight ever made without refueling.

“We originally thought solar cells would be standard on the airplane’s wings,” says George E. Bye, founder and CEO of Bye Aerospace Bye. “However, with eFlyer’s primary markets being flight training and air taxi services, it makes more sense to make the price of the airplane as reasonable as possible.”

SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., has published AS13006: Process Control Methods, a new standard with guidance material to support specific aerospace engine applications, with a focus on the practical application of control methods for many different situations, to improve process control, process capability, and product quality, benefiting both the organization applying it and its customers.

Thermal imaging data obtained from a FLIR high-performance camera shows that the expected turbine output temperature is approximately 285°C when the helicopter is in forward flight. However, during hover operations a steady state temperature of about 343°C will be reached.

The challenges of climate change and energy security require a continuous effort toward reduction of global environmental pollution and fossil oil consumption. To meet greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets and to decrease oil dependency, overall energy consumption of vehicles must be substantially reduced.

In March, a new demonstrator engine by Rolls-Royce, featuring a cutting-edge lean-burn and low-emissions combustion system for future jet engine programs, began icing tests at the Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environmental Research in Manitoba, Canada.

The four-year Clean High-Efficiency Diesel Engine (CHEDE) program is using a variety of new technologies and research findings to progress to a super-efficient, low-emitting heavy-duty diesel engine system with 55% brake thermal efficiency.

An updated version of GE Aviation’s T901-GE-900 turboprop engine used in the AH-64 Apache attack and UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters successfully completed the preliminary design review for the U.S. Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program.

SAE International has published a new recommended practice for assessing the amount of nonvolatile particulate matter (nvPM) that exits aircraft engine exhaust nozzles – ARP6481: Procedure for the Calculation of Non-Volatile Particulate Matter Sampling and Measurement System Losses and System Loss Correction Factors

Engineers at Boeing and NASA are collaborating on a lightweight, ultra-thin Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) concept, designed to be more aerodynamic and fuel efficient than current designs, as part of the Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) program focusing on innovative aerospace concepts that reduce noise and emissions while enhancing performance.

Technology transfer and collaboration continue to grow globally among mobility engineering professionals focused on aerospace and automotive applications. Cross-industry partnerships received a boost this week, as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota Motor Corp. officials announced increased cooperation on unmanned, electrified, and automated rovers for space exploration.

GKN Aerospace in Trollhättan, Sweden, are developing and manufacturing the first additive-manufactured, or 3D-printed, rocket engine turbines in Europe, officials say. The tier 1 aerospace supplier is harnessing cutting-edge additive manufacturing (AM) technology to produce two full-scale turbines for the Prometheus reusable rocket engine demonstrator on liquid oxygen and methane propellants, while reducing the number of parts from more than 100 to 2 and cutting costs by 90 percent.

Standards development teams at SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., have issued 11 new technical documents and revised or reaffirmed another 54 technical reports focused on mobility engineering across the aerospace, automotive, and commercial transportation communities. The new documents, issued throughout June 2018, cover a variety of technical subject areas, including: diagnostic link connector security, mitigation strategies against illumination effects, data dictionary for quantities used in cyber physical exams, requirements for production of metal powder feedstock for use in additive manufacturing of aerospace parts, and laser powder bed fusion process.

In reviewing Obama-era vehicle-emissions standards dictated aggressive fuel-economy standards for the years 2022-2025, the U.S. EPA said that in light of current market conditions and consumer preferences, the regulations should be revised.

Originally published in 1995, now updated and expanded with new specifications, this seminal work focuses on the development of Allied aircraft engines that helped turn the tide of World War II.

Aerospace systems, subsystems, and components must continue to operate as intended when exposed to fire, rather than going up in flames and ceasing to work altogether. Fire and flammability testing is an all-important prerequisite to airworthiness, and the focus of a new technical standards committee that SAE International in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, is forming in response to a request from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials in Washington.