Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - 14

Rim-Driven
Electric
Aircraft
Propulsion
T
oday our aviation capability is
built upon a carefully iterative
evolution in technology over
more than a century, in this
time craft have become highly optimized
machines with every incremental
technological advance pushing the
envelope of capability and economy.
However it is widely accepted that our
current progression towards electric aircraft
requires significant innovation
across most, if not all, aircraft subsystems.
This is a gap that no single iterative
evolution can bridge. A revolution
is required.
Rim-driven fan (RDF) technology is
not innately new as this technology
has become successful in the marine
industry in the last decade, however it
has never been able to pass feasibility
in aerospace applications. The
approach did not merit serious investigation
until aircraft electrification
became a solid target for the industry,
and with heritage architecture minimizing
the certification risk for first
movers it has been an under-developed
area of research since.
Our move towards electrification has
meant the blueprints for this technology
have been dusted off and recent
studies from RogersEV - a U.K.-based
startup developing the system - show
the architecture has significant promise
for aerospace application with large
potential improvements in system efficiency,
noise, complexity and safety.
Why do We Need a New Generation
of Powertrain?
Electric aviation is not only a requirement
for the decarbonization of the
sector, but it also makes sense from an
economy of effort point of view. In
classic combustion engine aircraft we
typically can expect a powertrain efficiency
of between 18 to 32 percent
depending on the craft and stage of
flight. The majority of this is thermal
loss from combustion when converting
the chemical energy of fuel into
mechanical power. In comparison
all-electric drivetrain efficiency is
between 50 to 70 percent with electric
motors resolving many of these existing
losses. However, even given a
threefold efficiency gain aviation gas
still has 40 times the stored energy we
can access.
A computer generated image of a future electric aircraft featuring RogersEV's rim-driven propulsion
system. (Image: RogersEV)
14
mobilityengineeringtech.com
Whilst the automotive industry is
pouring immense capital into battery
chemistry or hydrogen storage there is a
Aerospace & Defense Technology, April 2023

http://www.mobilityengineeringtech.com

Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023

Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - Intro
Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - Sponsor
Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - Cov1
Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - Cov2
Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - 1
Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - 2
Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - 3
Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - 4
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Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - Cov3
Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2023 - Cov4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/techbriefs/21ADT10
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/techbriefs/21ADT09
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/techbriefs/21ADT08
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/techbriefs/21ADT06
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