Partner: CMD, CIRA, UMBRA CUSCINETTI, VGA.
GearUp s.r.l. technical collaboration activities
GearUp s.r.l. provided technical consultancy under the PON – DIPROVEL project “Technology Demonstrator of an Aeronautical Hybrid Propulsion System for Light Aircraft Applications” for the design of the parallel hybrid system for aeronautical applications (Cessna 337 aircraft) having a maximum power of 135 kW.
The hybrid powertrain consists of an SI internal combustion engine (CMD22), a permanent magnet synchronous electric machine (EMRAX 268 LV) controlled by a DC/AC power converter (GVI Parker) and powered by a LiIon battery pack (composed of KOKAM cells).
Specifically, it has been developed by GearUp Ltd:
- The mechanical coupling between heat engine and electric machine (by one-way bearing) Figure 1;
- The control strategies of the hybrid powertrain. This is based on the minimization theory of a Hemiltonian potential called “Equivalent Consumption and Minimization Strategy” (ECMS). The control strategy was implemented in a development control unit (FPGA) and tested in the laboratory in Real Time (RT) Figure 2.
Figure 1. CMD 22 and EMRAX 268 LV aeronautical hybrid engine.
The prototype has been made and tested in the laboratory at the University of Naples Federico II.
Figure 2. Mathematical model of the Aeronautical hybrid engine created in Matlab/Simulink.
Tests conducted in the laboratory confirm the numerical predictions simulated through a model built in Matlab/Simulink in Figure 2. The results show that the hybrid propulsion system made for aviation applications can contribute in terms of reducing carbon dioxide CO2 emissions and thus reducing overall fuel consumption in both “plug-in” configuration by about 30 percent and “full-hybrid” by 6 percent, while maintaining overall performance. The primary technological limitation of this aviation application is the high specific weight and volume of Li-ion batteries.
Publications
- Fornaro, E. MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR AIRCRAFT HYBRID PRUPULSION SYSTEM AND EXPERIMENTAL ASSESMENT. PhD Thesis, (2023) University of Naples Federico II. URL: http://www.fedoatd.unina.it/id/eprint/1439.
- Fornaro, E., Cardone, M., & Dannier, A. (2022). A Comparative Assessment of Hybrid Parallel, Series, and Full-Electric Propulsion Systems for Aircraft Application. IEEE Access, 10, 28808-28820.
- Fornaro, E., Cardone, M., & Dannier, A. (2022, June). Hybrid Electric Aircraft Model Based on ECMS Control. In 2022 International Symposium on Power Electronics, Electrical Drives, Automation and Motion (SPEEDAM)(pp. 865-870).
- Fornaro, E., & Tordela, C. (2023). An Energy Management Strategy for Aeronautical Hybrid Propulsion Systems Based on an MPC Supervisor(No. 2023-24-0026). SAE Technical Paper.