The aviation industry's first 1-megawatt generator developed by Honeywell will help power a new hybrid-electric rigid airship specially designed to carry 60-ton payloads in and out of remote and hard-to-reach locations.
The French and Canadian company Flying Whales will integrate the new innovative generator
The airship's propulsion system combines the Honeywell generator and a conventional turbine engine to create a combined 4-megawatt powertrain with a much smaller environmental footprint. Both the generator and jet engine can run on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Honeywell’s 1 MW generator is the first designed to meet the specific requirements of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, such as the Flying Whales LCA60T,” said Cristian Anghel, senior technical researcher at Honeywell Aerospace. “This is a groundbreaking technology that shows enormous promise for cleaner, more efficient aircraft of all types. The LCA60T is just the beginning.”
A breakthrough 10 years in the making
Anghel is part of the team of Honeywell innovators who have been working on the 1-megawatt generator since the development program began more than a decade ago. The team's hard work, especially in recent years, has really paid off. The new generator is a true technological marvel that can be used both as a generator to recharge the batteries that power an aircraft's electric motors, and as an engine itself to drive aircraft propellers, according to Anghel.
“Our 1 MW generator is more powerful – by a factor of four – than any other aviation generator currently available,” he said. “It is also smaller and lighter, which is very important for aircraft manufacturers like Flying Whales and especially for developers of next-generation hybrid electrical power systems for aerospace, who will appreciate its small size and power density.”
In fact, the megawatt generator is the foundation of Honeywell's full range of solutions, which also include advanced avionics and other systems that will make new generation UAM and UAV aircraft safer, more efficient and more autonomous. The generator is a natural extension of Honeywell's well-established expertise in aircraft power systems, which dates back to the company's introduction of the first auxiliary power unit (APU) 75 years ago.
Engineers put 1 MW generator to test
In November 2022, Honeywell engineers tested the generator in a state-of-the-art Honeywell test cell in Mexicali, Mexico, where it exceeded launch customer requirements. The generator operated at 1,06 MVA and reached a steady state of 1 MW during the challenging proof-of-concept testing regime, Anghel said.
“We performed a variety of evaluations, including steady-state testing at 1 MW and 1,07 kVA levels for extended periods after reaching steady-state operation, and then running a reduced speed test at 17.000 rpm,” he said. .
“The team monitored operational behaviors and temperatures throughout the process. After the testing process, we disassembled the generator and thoroughly inspected the rotor, stator and other important components and no abnormalities were found. The generator performed beyond our expectations and achieved 97% efficiency, which was extremely gratifying,” added Anghel.
Flying whales prepare to take off
The Flying Whales LCA60T was originally designed to collect large loads of wood from difficult to reach places and take them where needed. The vision of the airship's potential uses has grown over time to include anything in the heavy-lift category, from energy and construction projects to supply, logistics, and humanitarian missions.
The airship owes its flexibility to its enormous payload capacity of 60 tonnes and the ability to carry loads suspended below the aircraft or in a large cargo bay, which measures 96 meters long, 8 meters wide and 7 meters high. It has unique stationary buoyancy features that make it ideal for loading and unloading cargo in remote areas. It is 200 meters (over 650 feet) long and is ed by 10 unpressurized helium cells that provide lift.
Flying Whales aims to fly the first LCA60T in 2025 and plans to build 150 aircraft over the next 10 years.
Via Honeywell
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