Request for Proposals: Demonstration of On-Board Systems Relevant for Hybridization of Regional Aircraft

Scope

• The configuration of the Ultra-Efficient Regional aircraft concept proposed in Clean Aviation is expected to remain tube and wing and should target an Entry into Service (EIS) from 2035. Such an aircraft concept should have a capacity of around 50-100 passengers (pax) with a design range up to 500 Nautical Miles (NM), operated on a typical mission of 250NM.
• This new generation aircraft concept is based on several advanced design features that affect most of the critical systems and major components, plus an innovative powerplant with hybrid-electric capability based on batteries.
• The present topic aims to develop and demonstrate the on-board system technologies needed for hybrid-electric propulsion and more-electric non-propulsive systems in-flight demonstration, with an electrical propulsive power of up to 1MW per side and a minimum electrical power of 100kW for all electric non-propulsive consumers. The selection of the hybridization ratio shall be compatible with the performance targets at aircraft level. Those systems are key enablers for the ultra-efficient regional aircraft concept.
• The project scope is therefore to design, demonstrate, and deliver the integrated on-board systems architecture and components for a full-scale in-flight demonstration of hybrid-electric propulsion, including:
  • The overall system architecture, addressing:
    • Electrical, thermal and energy management functions, at the requested performance targets for an Ultra-Efficient Regional aircraft and Flight Test Demonstrator.
    • The Validation and Verification approach of the integrated system towards in-flight demonstration at TRL6 by 2030.
  • Electrical Power Generation and Distribution System (EPGDS), covering:
    • High Voltage technologies and equipment relevant to electric propulsive loads, interfacing to the propulsive system electrical systems located within the nacelle.
    • Non-propulsive power sources and generators (including starter generator
    • Power conversion units required to generate different voltage and power levels considered at aircraft level, for non-propulsive and propulsive consumers
    • The interfacing with batteries used for propulsive electrical energy storage. The battery power source development (battery pack and Batter Management System) is not included in the project, but the developed systems should be compatible with the interfacing to a battery system for the Flight Test Demonstrator. The applicant will expose the contribution from projects financed by other institutions or being selffunded due to provide the battery pack including the Battery Management System.
    • Harness and connectors to enable the interconnection of equipment.
    • Power distribution units, protection devices, and fault management for the EPGDS
    • Energy management and health monitoring.
    • Grounding and bonding definition to mitigate conducted and radiated emissions accounting novel designs of the airframe.
    • Protection and mitigation of adverse physical phenomena associated with severe environmental condition at altitude such as partial discharge, arcing and lightning effects at high voltage, pressurized, low pressurized and non-pressurized areas
  • Thermal Management System (TMS), covering:
    • The thermal management of propulsive and non-propulsive heat loads located withing the airframe, such as power electronics, batteries, generators, and other relevant thermal loads. In particular, the thermal management of batteries operating at high C-rates (high power phases and fast charging) shall be addressed, in line with aircraft requirements and operational environment (cold and hot conditions on ground and in flight).
    • The cooling generation system, based on high-power densities technologies such as Vapour Cycle System (VCS), to regulate the temperature of multiple heat loads.
    • Adaptative heat transport solutions, based on highly efficient technologies such as active pumped loops (mono-phasic and/or di-phasic), passive systems possibly based on heat pipes, or other advanced technologies.
    • High power density heat exchanger or heat extraction devices, considering novel manufacturing processes and novel integration schemes for heat exchangers to maximise power density while reducing drag and new solutions for “waste heat extraction” with improved heat insulation to enable higher density electronics
    • Integration with electrical and electronics consumer equipment, including batteries.
  • Optimized Energy management solutions, covering:
    • The monitoring of energy and power sources required for the propulsive and nonpropulsive energy management strategies defined at aircraft level, depending on flight phases and aircraft/environmental conditions.
    • Specific functions, algorithms, and features to balance those sources, based on realtime status and predictions of remaining energy storage, in nominal and non-nominal situations. The optimized energy management solutions shall make the onboard electrical power system flexible and adaptable to flight conditions, while accommodating at highest efficiency significantly larger onboard power and energy budget, compared to current state-of-the-art.
    • Safe avionics for the management and interaction of propulsive and non-propulsive power generation and distribution, and implication on flight Management System, health monitoring system, centralized maintenance systems, and other relevant systems.
    • Adequate pilot interfaces, providing crew awareness of hybrid-electric systems, addressing crew workload and interactions, and providing adequate automation (e.g awareness of available power, remaining flight endurance, crew assistance in managing failures, crew alerting system)

Funding Information

• The maximum EU contribution for the topic is EUR 40 million.
• The maximum EU contribution per project funded under this topic is EUR 40 million.
• Indicative project duration: Maximum 60 months.

Expected Outcomes

• Project results are expected to demonstrate on-board systems required for hybrid-electric propulsion and more-electric non-propulsive systems on the Ultra-Efficient Regional aircraft concept considered by Clean Aviation SRIA for Entry into Service by 2035:
  • Encompassing electrical, thermal, and energy management systems, compatible with a Clean Aviation Phase 2 hybrid-electric Flight-Test Demonstration, based on battery electrical energy storage
  • TRL4 shall be justified at project start for the considered technologies, based on synergies with activities from CA Phase 1, or funded by national/regional or other European programmes.
  • TRL5 shall be achieved for the on-board systems by 2028, based on Ground Test Demonstration (GTD) and relevant earlier sub-systems and component testing and demonstration.
  • All hardware and equipment for integration on-board of a Flight Test Demonstrator (FTD), with the associated qualifications for Flight-Test Readiness (FTR), shall be delivered to enable a first flight by end of 2029 within the topic HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2025-03-REG-03: Flight Test Demonstration of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion for Regional aircraft.
  • TRL6 shall be achieved for the on-board systems at project completion, based on FTD testing data received from the topic HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2025-03-REG-03: Flight Test Demonstration of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion for Regional aircraft
  • The on-board systems shall be compliant to CS-25 certification requirements, achieving a Certification Readiness Level 4 (CRL4) for critical technologies based on the project GTD, with a route to CRL6 at airframe level (including on-board systems) by the end of CA programme. Acceptable deviations on the FTD demonstrator should be documented and justified.
• The project results are expected to directly contribute to the performance targets of the UltraEfficient Regional aircraft concept with EIS by 2035:
  • The on-board systems shall enable a 30% CO2 emissions reduction at aircraft level, including at least 20% from the hybrid-electric propulsion, compared to 2020 SoA aircraft (enabling 86% net CO2 reduction with 100% SAF).
  • Adequate KPIs at integrated system & key techno levels shall be defined to support the effective achievement of the expected outcomes and shall be aligned with the performance targets

Eligibility Criteria

• Entities eligible to participate:
  • Entities eligible to participate Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from nonassociated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call/topic.
  • A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality .
• Entities eligible for funding :
  • To become a beneficiary, legal entities must be eligible for funding. To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
    • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions:
      • Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
    • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
      • Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
    • countries associated to Horizon Europe;
      • Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

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