Power Generation System readies for its first run21 Jan 2021 12:01
Power Generation System readies for its first run, with big challenges and big aspirations ahead.
In an unassuming, newly-converted testbed, tucked away on the Rolls-Royce site in Bristol, UK, a team is getting ready to do battle with the laws of physics.
For it is here that Power Generation System 1 (PGS1) – the most powerful hybrid-electric engine in aerospace – is being brought together for its first ground test run in 2021.
And this will be no ordinary engine first run, for it will be the first try out of a hybrid-electric system that has extraordinary goals if it is to power future aircraft at MW scale.
At its heart is a generator – no bigger than a beer keg – that has to deliver 2.5MW, enough electrical power to supply 2,500 homes. And, in an aerospace industry with strict standards, it has to do that safely and reliably.
All the cables are in place, ready to connect up the components of PGS1, linking the generator to an AE2100 gas turbine and a 3000V power electronics system. And that connection will take place soon, once the final stages of generator trials have concluded at another bespoke high voltage Rolls-Royce test facility in Trondheim, Norway.
Riona Armesmith, Chief Project Engineer, Hybrid Electric Propulsion, is leading the Bristol team’s quest and recognises the scale of the challenge.
She said: “The majority of engineering testing is carried out to prove something that has already been largely validated on another vehicle or through computer simulation. But this is testing at the limits – to actually see if we can make PGS1 work and to generate data which will allow us to validate our models for the first time.
“The challenge of this type of hybrid technology at this level of power is really about weight and thermal management. Batteries weigh more than kerosene and once you have added on cables, power electronics and the cooling systems for each component you also have unavoidable increased complexity.
“So we have to make PGS1 as light, reliable and simple to operate as possible. And if we achieve that we will be in a great position, with a fully-integrated and ground-tested power and thermal management system. It means whenever anyone comes forward with a hybrid or all-electric aircraft concept requiring MW power, we will be ready to go.”
PGS1 has risen from a demonstrator programme that was part of the E-Fan X programme being developed with Airbus, which concluded earlier this year when both parties recognised there was no requirement to create an actual aircraft for test flight.
But Rolls-Royce is continuing with PGS1 testing, ensuring it can be integrated into any future aircraft that requires a hybrid-electric propulsion system at MW scale, which could then be flight-tested to confirm that all industry safety requirements are met.
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