19 June 2023
A new small gas turbine developed to power hybrid-electric flight is set to begin testing, engine maker Rolls-Royce has announced.
The engine is part of a turbogenerator system being developed for the Advanced Air Mobility market such as electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and small regional airliners up to 19 seats.
The turbogenerator system will have scalable power offerings between 500kW and 1200kW enabling extended range on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and later, as it becomes available, hydrogen. “This will open up new, longer routes than pure electric battery powered aircraft can support as of today,” said Rolls-Royce.
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Olaf Otto, president of Rolls-Royce’s Electrical division, said, “Rolls-Royce will be the leading provider of all-electric and hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems for Advanced Air Mobility. The Pass-To-Test (PTT) of our brand-new small engine that will power our turbogenerator system is an important step forward.”
The development of the turbogenerator system is combining Rolls-Royce’s electrical and gas turbine experience and uses recent technology developments to achieve a step change in efficiency of small gas turbines.
The turbogenerator can be used in serial or parallel hybrid applications. It is well suited to recharge batteries as well as provide energy to electrical propulsion units directly and therefore enables aircraft to switch between power sources in flight.
