mark.moore.eas2008.pdfVIP

1 Electric Propulsion Enabled Advanced Air Vehicles Mission Problems, Technology Solutions, and Concept Applications Mark D. Moore NASA Langley Research Center Aircraft performance is decreased with the near-term implementation of electric propulsion compared to existing hydrocarbon propulsion, primarily due to the current electrical energy storage technology level. This additional weight and cost is offset by significant improvements in system emissions, efficiency, reliability, maintenance, noise, and safety. The objective of this research is to apply electric propulsion technology to specific coupled aircraft mission/integration problems, and enable solutions that existing aircraft power systems can’t provide. Four specific technologies are presented with potential concept applications to provide unique improved capabilities. The conclusion is that highly synergistic mission concepts and cross-disciplinary technologies could provide another mechanism for near-term electric propulsion adoption. Electric Propulsion Enabled Advanced Air Vehicles Mission Problems, Technology Solutions, and Concept Applications Electric Aircraft Symposium April 26th 2008, San Francisco Mark D. Moore NASA Langley Research Center 757.864.2262 mark.d.moore@nasa.gov Primary Electric Propulsion Characteristics High Energy Storage Weight Low Emissions High Energy Storage Cost High Efficiency CommercialOffTheShelf Availability High Reliability Low Maintenance Low Maintenance Cost Low Noise Low Vibration High Safety Low Cooling Drag Easy to Certify Small Volume Required Low Engine Buy Cost Light Weight Engine ?? Specific energy is a hard requirement problem, while soft requirements (environmental issues, reliability, comfort, etc) are significantly improved. ?? What if the improvements electric propulsion offers can be used across other disciplines to help overcome the specific e