Page 50 - European Energy Innovation - winter 2019 publication
P. 50
50 Winter 2019 European Energy Innovation
AVIATION RESEARCH
Research for a greener
aviation at the French
Aerospace Lab
Due to the importance
of fuel costs in aircraft challenging in the context of a of distributed propulsion to
operation, increasing continuous increase of air travel optimise aircraft performances.
aircraft efficiency and demand. In spite of impressive and
reducing fuel consumption have continuous technological progress The use of alternative fuels is
always been major objectives for since the sixties, aviation emissions another direction, with biofuels that
aeronautic research at ONERA in are increasing and the improvement can provide a significant emissions
close connexion with industrial of technologies currently deployed reduction over their life cycle, and also
needs. In aerodynamics, these on aircraft will not be sufficient to synthetic fuel made from renewable
drive research on laminar flows, compensate the forecasted traffic energy that may allow ultimately a full
flow separation control, propulsion growth. Disruptive technologies decarbonation of aviation.
integration and aircraft optimisation or low carbon fuels shall be
in general. In propulsion, research implemented for future generation ONERA has been actively working
are carried out on fans’ and of aircraft. on the compatibility of synthetic
nacelles’ design, as well as the hydrocarbon fuels with current
investigation of the disruptive ONERA is exploring a broad scope aircraft and infrastructure to allow
open rotor configuration, in a of solutions. This starts with new their short term introduction. With
continuous effort to increase aircraft concepts moving away a view to a full decarbonation
turbines’ by-pass ratio, a key factor from the classical tube and wing of aviation, hydrogen is also
for propulsion efficiency,. Materials configuration, such as for example considered today.
are instrumental also, with research flying wings, as well as efforts
on composites material for airframe to develop a stronger integration Beyond CO2, ONERA is also working
mass reduction, or research on high between airframe and propulsion. on understanding the full climate
temperature materials and high In that field, a strong axis of work impact of aviation. NOx and
pressure turbine cooling to increase is boundary layer ingestion by especially contrails formation are
engines’ thermodynamic efficiency. the propulsion system, which suspected to possibly contribute
aims at improving the global significantly to the radiative
These researches are carried out in propulsion efficiency. Pushing forcing induced by aviation. The
various contexts: at national level the limit further, electrification actual impact of contrails is still
with DGAC and national industry, of aircraft propulsion is also debated and the modelling of their
at European level in Horizon 2020 receiving much attention. Although formation and properties is still an
and CleanSky 2 projects in which full electric propulsion cannot active field of research in which
ONERA has a great track record. be considered for commercial ONERA also participates. l
aircraft due to limitations of
More recently, climate change batteries performance, hybrid
and reducing CO2 emissions have electric propulsion could be a way
emerged as a dominating concern to reduce fuel consumption by
for aviation. This is particularly allowing totally new designs that
could for example take advantage
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