A Comprehensive Approach to the Assessment of a Hybrid Electric Powertrain for Commuter Aircraft

J.-P. Hofmann, Eike Stumpf, D. Weintraub, J. Köhler, Duc Pham, M. Schneider, J. Dickhoff, Bernhard Burkhart, G. Reiner, M. Spiller, E. A. Werner,
AIAA Aviation 2019 Forum

Abstract

In “Flightpath 2050” ambitious emission targets were defined. It is consensus in aviation that these targets cannot be met with conventional fuel based powertrains. The aim of the nationally funded HyFly project is to develop a commercially viable hybrid electric powertrain for a 19 PAX commuter aircraft that will make significant progress towards achieving the emission targets. Various hybridization concepts will be compared and a most promising configuration is derived. Since all investigated hybrid power trains are significantly heavier than the fuel based powertrain, payload must be reduced and the goal of a reduction of fuel consumption per PAX cannot be archived. However, the chosen parallel hybrid configuration with electric start boost offers the potential to reduce noise emissions and test electric propulsion components in commercial air traffic.

Link: ARC