Feasibility Analysis and Modelling of MgB2 Superconducting Electrical Power Machines

欧洲的飞行路径2050愿景和美国宇航局的固定翼项目旨在实现二氧化碳排放量减少75%，飞机燃油消耗减少70%。英国航空航天技术研究所（UK Aerospace Technology Institute）最近推出了同样雄心勃勃的目标，即开发具有高效推进技术的飞机。未来的飞机将重新定义未来的航空格局，并将需要颠覆性的技术来实现长期目标，包括降低噪音水平、燃油消耗和排放。电力和混合动力推进被认为是解决这些挑战最有前途的技术。它已经证明，多个电机驱动的风扇减少阻力和利用边界层的摄入，导致更低的燃料燃烧和更低的排放。由于传统的电机和传输系统无法满足高功率密度的要求，空客、劳斯莱斯和NASA提出的一种方法是开发超导分布式电力推进系统。根据这项提出的技术，电力可以从超导发电机分配到驱动多个推进风扇的超导电动机。具有最低冷却要求的轻质超导电机和发电机是弥合未来电动飞机技术差距的解决方案。Epoch公司生产的超长且具有成本效益的二硼化镁（MgB2）超导导线可以为电动飞机推进系统提供更轻的超导发电机和电机设计。与其他高温超导材料相比，主要优点是交流损耗低，制造成本低。该项目通过弥合超导材料制造和高温超导机器建模之间的差距来研究MgB2机器的性能。细丝MgB2电缆加上小扭距将由Epoch电线制造用于高效超导机器应用。一种新的MgB2机器模型将由斯特拉斯克莱德大学的团队根据最新的MgB2电线的特性开发，以量化MgB2高温超导机器的好处并预测其最大极限。该项目将提供基于最先进的MgB2制造技术的HTS机器的功率密度和效率的全面技术评估。它还将提供到2050年高温超导机器性能的技术预测。技术评估和预测将为展示MgB2超导机器如何适应电动飞机发展路线图提供重要信息。

Europe's Flightpath 2050 vision and NASA's Fixed Wing Project aims to achieve a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions and 70% reduction in aircraft fuel-burn. The UK Aerospace Technology Institute has recently launched its equally ambitious targets to develop aircraft with efficient propulsion technologies. Future aircraft will redefine tomorrow's aviation landscape and will require disruptive technologies to achieve long term objectives, in terms of reduction in noise levels, fuel burn and emissions.Electric and hybrid-electric propulsion are foreseen to be the most promising technologies for addressing these challenges. It has been demonstrated that multiple motor-driven fans reduce drag and utilise boundary layer ingestion resulting in lower fuel burn and lower emissions. Since conventional electrical machines and transmission systems cannot meet the high-power density requirement, one approach proposed by Airbus, Rolls Royce and NASA is to develop superconducting electrical distributed propulsion systems. According to this proposed technology, the power can be distributed from superconducting generators to superconducting motors that drive multiple propulsive fans. Light-weight superconducting motors and generators with minimised cooling requirements are solutions to bridge the technology gap for future electric aircraft.The long-length and cost-effective Magnesium Diboride (MgB2) superconducting wires manufactured by Epoch Wires can enable lighter superconducting generators and motors designs for electric aircraft propulsion systems. Major advantages over other HTS materials include low AC loss and low manufacturing cost. This project studies the performance of MgB2 machines by bridging the gap between superconducting material manufacturing and HTS machine modelling. Fine-filament MgB2 cables coupled with small twist pitches will be manufactured by Epoch Wires for highly efficient superconducting machine applications. A new MgB2 machine model will be developed by the University of Strathclyde team based on the latest MgB2 wires' characteristics to quantify the benefits and predict the utmost limits of MgB2 HTS machines.This project will provide a full technology appreciation of the power density and efficiency of HTS machines based on state-of-the-art MgB2 manufacturing technologies. It will also provide a technology forecast for the performance of HTS machines up to 2050. The technical evaluation and forecast will provide essential information to show how MgB2 superconducting machines can fit into the roadmap of electric aircraft development.