{"id":282354,"date":"2021-04-10T11:00:37","date_gmt":"2021-04-10T09:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=282354"},"modified":"2021-04-10T11:00:37","modified_gmt":"2021-04-10T09:00:37","slug":"how-researchers-plan-to-integrate-the-structural-battery-into-aircraft-components","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/how-researchers-plan-to-integrate-the-structural-battery-into-aircraft-components\/","title":{"rendered":"How researchers plan to integrate the structural battery into aircraft components"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aviation is the fastest growing transport sector and experts expect this trend to continue post-pandemic. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)<\/a>, aviation already contributes around 2.5 percent of global CO2 emissions to man-made climate change. If the EU’s Clean Aviation Roadmap<\/a> is to be adhered to, there is an urgent need for action. It foresees that the first hybrid-electric aircraft should take to the skies in 2035.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electrification of aviation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As in the automotive industry, the aviation industry wants to switch to renewable energies. Electric propulsion solutions are the most promising. The solid-state battery is seen as the ideal battery solution in both sectors. While the first cars with solid-state batteries are expected to appear as early as 2025, research in aviation is still in its infancy. This is due, among other things, to the disproportionately higher requirements for energy density and system reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also of interest: Tomorrow is good: Super batteries could cover a range of more than 1000 kilometers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The electrification of aircraft began with secondary systems such as de-icing or actuator systems,” explains Dr. Helmut K\u00fchnelt<\/a>, a researcher at the Center for Low-Emission Transport<\/a> at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology<\/a>. He points to the Boeing Dreamliner 787<\/a> launched in 2011, where bleed air systems as well as pneumatic and hydraulic systems were electrified for the first time. “But now we’re talking about the electrification of the powertrain, and that’s where development is still pretty much at the beginning,” the researcher says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Battery hybrid solutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At AIT, problems are approached in a holistic manner. Research is currently being carried out in three European projects which are advancing the electrification of aviation: IMOTHEP<\/a>, ORCHESTRA <\/a>and SOLIFLY<\/a>. The focus is on battery-hybrid solutions aimed at the regional aircraft segment for around 50 passengers. Once aviation-grade battery cell technologies are available, this would be the fastest solution to implement on the market, explains K\u00fchnelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He himself heads the SOLIFLY project, which aims to develop the structural battery for aviation applications. The structural battery comprises components that have both mechanical and energy storage properties. As such, it has the potential to reduce weight and can increase the overall system efficiency of aircraft. It will probably not be possible to use this new type of energy storage system for the powertrain, explains K\u00fchnelt. But in the electric aircraft of the future, he says, there will likely be not just one energy storage solution, but a hybrid system drawing on different energy sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Structural battery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The project tackles the issue of the battery concept and structural integration. It will also lead to a first-time demonstration of the novel system in an aerospace-relevant component. The SOLIFLY team can initially draw exclusively on academic fundamentals since the investigation of targeted aerospace applications is a first, says K\u00fchnelt. Actual expectations for the structural battery will also be incorporated via industry partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers are building on existing approaches to develop two different battery concepts and compare their performance. Both concepts are based on semi-solid-state batteries in which the electrolyte consists of an open-pore polymer matrix and an ionic liquid. The latter is a non-flammable salt that is safer than conventional liquid electrolytes. The electrolyte must be optimized. Current active materials with high energy density are used for both the cathode and the anode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one of the two battery concepts, active material for coating carbon fibers will be used. As an anode, carbon fibers could also serve as a current conductor and structure if uncoated. This is also the circumstance to which the unconventional choice of semi-solid-state battery is owed, K\u00fchnelt says. In the implementation, carbon fibers are used as structural current conductors on the anode and cathode sides. The coatings are then used for energy storage. In the second battery concept, the material will be formed into thin battery cells and then integrated into the structure in the carbon composite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The integration problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When integrating the battery concepts, it is important to avoid premature damage. Concepts for connecting the structural element and energy storage device are developed and subsequently optimized with computer models. “The two battery concepts have different degrees of integration, but might also be suitable for different applications,” K\u00fchnelt explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The energy-storing component is exposed to high static and dynamic loads in the application which can damage the battery. In addition, different zones of the component are exposed to different types of loads. The researchers are therefore investigating which areas of the component are best suited for integration with energy storage devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy must be supplied to and discharged from the cell integrated in the structure. This requires electrical conductors. These will probably not be cables, but electrically conductive strips. K\u00fchnelt says: “Here, too, one challenge is to integrate the electrical conductors into the structure in such a way that no premature damage occurs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industrialization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The components in which the structural battery can be implemented must also be researched. Relevant applications will be identified together with industrial partners. The researchers are initially concentrating on the interior, meaning that factors relating to the outer skin, such as foreign object impact and lightning protection, are no longer relevant. However, the structural battery should in any case be located close to the device to be powered in order to minimize electrical connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technical research goal will be achieved when the developed technology can be integrated into a demonstrator, its structural and electrical performance characterized, and is comparable to a conventional panel. The demonstrator in this case is a stiffened panel that represents a standard component and has a size of 40 by 80 centimeters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the researchers will determine whether the production processes can actually be industrialized and what it would take to industrialize the structural battery. To this end, a technology roadmap and a technology readiness level scale-up strategy will be created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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