A new electric motor to reduce commercial aircraft emissions

The European HIVOMOT project is coming to an end, led by the Ceit Technology Centre together with SUPRASYS, Antec Magnets and Alcorza Berango, and in the course of which an electric motor prototype has been developed that enables greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced in regional aircraft.

An experimental electric motor has been designed that is able to function just like current turbines, but with the same performance features as an aircraft with capacity for over 50 passengers.

HIVOMOT has resulted in a significant advance in aerospace propulsion technology, constituting a milestone in emission reduction.

Air transport is one of the sources of greenhouse gas emissions that has increased the most in recent years. According to European Parliament data, these emissions increased by 128.7% between 1990 and 1997 and already account for 3.42% of the total, owing above all to the major growth experienced in international trade.

To lessen this impact, a consortium of companies led by the Ceit Technology Centre has developed the HIVOMOT (HIgh power and VOltage operation of electric MOTors in Aeronautics) project which, following three years’ work, has resulted in the creation of an electric motor prototype for aerospace propulsion that is able to significantly reduce emissions from commercial aircraft.

According to the researcher from the transport and energy division and project coordinator, Marco Satrústegui, the aim of the project has been to “develop an experimental electric motor to replace current turbines that is able to function using High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) technology based on superconductor materials, and which offers the same performance features as gas turbines used by commercial aircraft with capacity for over 50 passengers”.

Small electrically operated motors do currently exist that require less power and are used in urban transport vehicles, wind energy and industry. These motors are based on a neodymium magnet system located on the rotor – a type of technology which, as the Ceit researcher explains, has already reached the “very limit” of its capacities, requiring solutions that incorporate greater power density.

Lighter and with more power but with less environmental impact

As an alternative to this system, the consortium has employed HTS technology to provide greater propulsion with less weight while ensuring performance features similar to those offered by a gas turbine. Specifically, around 3,000 rpm and 2 MW power have been attained – 20 times more than what an electric car need requires.

To operate effectively, this technology needs highly demanding cooling conditions at -200oC, which are those permitted for superconductor materials in order to take advantage of its full potential and prevent any loss that may overheat the system. That is why one of the challenges facing the consortium has been to attain greater cooling capacity and implement this in the new motor, which is considerably smaller and lighter than conventional propulsion devices.

An additional challenge has been to ensure electrical insulation performance at altitude, insofar as air properties change and worsen insulation conditions in the static part of the motor. To overcome this, a range of laboratory trials were conducted that involved subjecting current insulation technologies to different tests under high-altitude conditions using climate chambers to observe how they respond. This has enabled their high-altitude behaviour to be predicted and the information required to design suitable insulation for the new motor obtained.

Advisory board comprising agents from the European aeronautical industry

The project, led by Ceit, also involves the companies Antec Magnets, Suprasys and Alconza Berango, and forms part of the European Clean Sky 2 programme financed by EU funds within the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme. The project also has an advisory board made up of representatives from RollsRoyce ITP, Indra, Safran, Egile and IRT. “The board has been informed about all the progress we have made and, for their part, have provided us with their feedback and referred us to the requirements and different conditions that would need to be met by the motor, its performance and the viability of what has been developed”, Marco Satrustegui explains.

The HIVOMOT project has resulted in a significant advance in aerospace propulsion technology, constituting a milestone in emission reduction. The viability of reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been demonstrated in the commercial air transport sector thanks to the development of this motor.