Collins Aerospace Unveils Breakthrough in Electrification with 1MW Motor for P&WC’s Hybrid Flight Innovator
Collins Aerospace has successfully finalized the Initial Design Review of the 1-megawatt electric motor along with its motor controller that it is creating for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s (P&WC) regional hybrid-electric flight prototype. Collins has assessed both systems to their maximum current, voltage, and speed, and intends to deliver prototypes to P&WC for ground evaluations later this year. The flight trials of the demonstrator are set to commence in 2024, taking place in Montreal.
Collins’ motor boasts unmatched power density and efficiency in the industry. The corporation is developing these advanced systems at its facility in Solihull, United Kingdom, while executing tests at the University of Nottingham’s Institute for Aerospace Technology. Collins aims to carry out additional tests of the motor and motor controller at The Grid, a cutting-edge 25,000-square-foot electric power systems laboratory being established at its site in Rockford, Illinois. The Grid is anticipated to be fully functional by 2023.
“Through this close partnership between Collins and our sister Raytheon Technologies enterprise, Pratt & Whitney, we are cultivating sustainable hybrid-electric propulsion innovations that will be essential in aiding the aviation sector to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” remarked Henry Brooks, president of Power & Controls at Collins Aerospace. “Together, we possess the chance to genuinely transform aerospace with environmentally friendly solutions that will benefit not just our industry, but the planet as a whole.”
P&WC is collaborating with Collins, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, battery systems provider H55 S.A., and other partners on the flight demonstrator program. The initiative aims for a 30% enhancement in fuel efficiency and a corresponding decrease in CO2 emissions, compared to the most advanced turboprop engines currently available for regional aircraft. As part of this initiative, a De Havilland Dash 8-100 experimental aircraft will be re-engined on one side with a 2 megawatt-class propulsion system, which merges a fuel-burning engine from P&WC with Collins’ 1 megawatt electric motor in a parallel hybrid configuration featuring a 50/50 power split. The electric motor will offer additional thrust during takeoff and ascent, allowing the fuel-burning engine to optimize for cruising efficiency. This innovative technology will also be engineered to operate on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
“Our hybrid-electric flight demonstrator initiative is harnessing and appealing to expertise from premier aerospace and research organizations in Canada and globally,” stated Jean Thomassin, executive director of new products and services at P&WC. “By enhancing the propulsion system’s efficiency, hybrid-electric technology serves as a vital avenue to establish new benchmarks for sustainability in aviation across various applications.”
Hybrid-electric propulsion is a fundamental component of the strategies of both Collins and Pratt & Whitney aimed at fostering sustainable aviation. Besides the demonstrator initiative for the regional turboprop sector, the companies are also collaborating to develop scalable hybrid-electric propulsion technologies for innovative advanced air mobility vehicles and single-aisle passenger airplanes.
