Clean Sky

Last updated
Clean Sky Joint Undertaking
CSJU
Clean Sky Logo.png
Joint Undertaking overview
Formed2008;16 years ago (2008)
HeadquartersAvenue de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 4th Floor
1060 Brussels
Belgium
50°50′06″N4°21′17″E / 50.835070°N 4.354600°E / 50.835070; 4.354600
MottoInnovation Takes Off
Annual budget€1.6bn (Clean Sky), €4bn (Clean Sky 2)
Joint Undertaking executive
  • Axel Krein, Executive Director
Key document
Website cleansky.eu
Clean Sky

The Clean Sky Joint Undertaking (CSJU) is a public-private partnership between the European Commission and the European aeronautics industry that coordinates and funds research activities to deliver significantly quieter and more environmentally friendly aircraft. [1] [2] The CSJU manages the Clean Sky Programme (CS) and the Clean Sky 2 Programme (CS2), making it Europe's foremost aeronautical research body.

Contents

Overview

Aeronautics is noted for its capacity to innovate and to change the lives of millions of people. Also, for the complexity of its hardware and systems, which means the research and development cycles in the industry (the time it takes for an idea to get from the drawing board to the market) are very long, typically between 20 and 30 years. The risk associated with the large-scale investment required to drive technological progress is very high. In parallel, the environmental impact of the industry currently accounts for 3% of global man-made carbon emissions and is set to increase substantially in the years to come, as modern societies demand better connection among people, countries and regions. By coordinating the research activities of the industry, the CSJU develops new technologies that would otherwise be beyond the manageable risk of the private sector: it provides the necessary funding to develop and introduce innovations within timeframes that would otherwise be unachievable.

As such, the CSJU is intended to be the body that will be the main contributor in realising the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) 2020 environmental goals for the industry. These goals are:

Organization

The CSJU Governing Board, made up of representatives from the industry and the commission, identifies strategic areas where research and innovation are essential. ‘Calls for Proposals' are then launched depending on the evolving needs of the industry. Small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industrial leaders, universities, and professional research organisations respond to the calls with detailed plans for research activities and an outline of the funding that they will require to develop their new technologies. To guarantee an efficient allocation of resources, the applications are evaluated by a panel of independent external experts who advise the CSJU on the proposals with the best potential. The winning proposals then receive funding and other support from the CSJU. The initial Clean Sky Programme, which runs from 2008 to 2016, has a budget of €1.6 billion. Half of this was provided by the European Commission's Framework Package 7 Research and Innovation Programme and the other half was provided by financial and in-kind contributions from the industry leaders.

Research areas

The strategic areas where research and innovation are essential are called Integrated Technology Demonstrators (ITDs). There are six of them, each one co-led by two industry leaders that are committed for the full duration of the programme:

Green Regional Aircraft

Green Regional Aircraft (GRA): Co-led by Airbus and Alenia. This ITD focuses on small, low-weight aircraft.

Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft

Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft (SFWA): Co-led by Airbus and SAAB. This ITD focuses on wing technologies and configurations covering large aircraft and business jets.

Green Rotorcraft

Green Rotorcraft (GRC): Co-led by AgustaWestland and Airbus Helicopters. This ITD focuses on innovative rotor blades, integration of diesel engine technology and advanced electrical systems for elimination of noxious hydraulic fluids.

Sustainable and Green Engines

Sustainable and Green Engines (SAGE): Co-led by Rolls-Royce and Safran. This ITD focuses on novel configurations such as open rotors and intercoolers.

Systems for Green Operations

Systems for Green Operations (SGO): Co-led by Liebherr and Thales. This ITD focuses on electrical aircraft equipment, system architectures, thermal management and capabilities for greener trajectories.

Eco-Design

Eco-Design (ED): Co-led by Dassault Aviation and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. This ITD focuses on mitigating the environmental impact of the design, production, withdrawal, and recycling of aircraft by optimising material and energy use.

Complementing the six ITDs is the Technology Evaluator (TE). Once the new technologies have been developed and integrated into a test model or aircraft, the TE assesses the environmental improvements by carrying out demonstration activities and test flights and comparing the results with aircraft that have not been equipped with the new technologies. The difference in fuel saved, noise emitted etc. is the extent of the success of the technology.

Achievements

The A340 BLADE demonstrator ILA 2018, Schonefeld (1X7A5479).jpg
The A340 BLADE demonstrator

An Open Rotor demonstration led by Safran was launched in 2008 within the program with 65 million euros funding over eight years : a demonstrator was assembled in 2015, and ground tested in May 2017 on its open-air test rig in Istres, aiming to reduce fuel consumption and associated CO2 emissions by 30% compared with current CFM56 turbofans. [3]

The Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe (BLADE) is an Airbus project within the framework to flight-test experimental laminar-flow wing sections on an A340 from September 2017. [4]

Other examples of hardware that have been developed with the support of Clean Sky include:

Clean Sky 2

Following the success of the initial Clean Sky Programme, its successor, Clean Sky 2, [6] was launched in 2014(2) as part of the commission's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. Clean Sky 2 aims to be the main contributor to the commission's Flightpath 2050 goals set by ACARE, which are more ambitious than those of the initial Clean Sky Programme.

These goals are:

Clean Sky 2 will also contribute to maintaining global leadership in European aeronautics. As such, Clean Sky 2 will require a larger membership, a bigger budget, and research activity in a wider range of areas.

Ice protection

Within the programme, a passive ice protection system will be tested on an engine inlet and nacelle mockup in an icing wind tunnel at de:Rail Tec Arsenal in Austria by early 2020, using capillary forces generated by vaporisation in a metallic porous "wick" in an evaporator to provide heat transfer with no moving parts to a condenser, like in space applications, reducing weight and energy requirements. [7]

High-speed rotorcraft

Within Clean Sky 2, the EU funds two high-speed rotorcraft: the Airbus RACER compound helicopter and the Leonardo Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor (NGCTR). [8]

Hybrid-electric

In 2016, French ONERA, German DLR and Dutch TU Delft/NLR were contracted to evaluate 35 radical configurations to replace conventional airliner designs from 2035, meeting Airbus A320 requirements: 150 passengers, a Mach 0.78 cruise and 1,200 nmi (2,200 km) of range. TU Delft and NLR presented their distributed hybrid-electric propulsion (DHEP) study Under Novair project at the January 2019 AIAA SciTech conference, having selected three more likely configurations: [9]

Assuming 500 Wh/kg battery packs, achievable but beyond automotive or industrial applications, propulsion mass skyrocketed to 600% for HS2 and 730% for HS3, driving all the other masses and ending up consuming 34% more energy for HS3 and 51% for HS2, while HS1 showed a 10% better energy consumption. [9]

Scaled Flight Demonstrator

In 2022, the Scaled Flight Demonstrator  [ fr ], a model of an Airbus A320 at 1/8.5 scale built as part of the Clean Sky 2 research program flew a test campaign. It can be used for both wind tunnel and flight tests, and aims to validate the use of scale models to reduce the gap between numerical simulations and full-scale flight tests. [10]

Clean Sky 3 / Clean Aviation

To cut 80% of air transport's CO2 emissions by 2050, Clean Sky 3 would need reverse planning: due to the life expectancy of aircraft, required technologies would have to enter service in 2030-35 and should be demonstrated in 2025–27. The 2021-27 EU budget should be voted on by the end of 2019 and detailed allocation in 2020, with the Horizon Europe research and innovation program maybe including Clean Sky 3 starting on January 1, 2021, at best. [11]

On 23 March 2022, Clean Aviation, the successor to the Clean Sky 1 and 2 programmes, opened its first call for proposals with €735 million of funding over 36 months for hydrogen aircraft, hybrid electric aircraft, short- and medium-range aircraft, “transversal” technologies, and co-ordination and support. [12] Hydrogen research gets €182 million, including €115 million for direct combustion with a 5,000shp (3,670 kW) turboprop and a 20,000 lb-thrust (89 kN) turbofan, €50 million for fuel cells, €10 million for storage, and €7 million for “near-term disruptive technologies”. Submissions are open until 23 June, with results announced in September and grants awarded in December. [12] The second-phase will launch in 2025 to reach €1.7 billion of total funding, towards a 2035 service entry for the technologies developed. [12] UK companies could be eligible if the country is associated to the Horizon Europe programme. [12]

Research areas

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Trent</span> Family of turbofan aircraft engines

The Rolls-Royce Trent is a family of high-bypass turbofans produced by Rolls-Royce. It continues the three spool architecture of the RB211 with a maximum thrust ranging from 61,900 to 97,000 lbf . Launched as the RB-211-524L in June 1988, the prototype first ran in August 1990. Its first variant is the Trent 700 introduced on the Airbus A330 in March 1995, then the Trent 800 for the Boeing 777 (1996), the Trent 500 for the A340 (2002), the Trent 900 for the A380 (2007), the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 (2011), the Trent XWB for the A350 (2015), and the Trent 7000 for the A330neo (2018). It has also marine and industrial variants like the RR MT30.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Propfan</span> Type of aircraft engine

A propfan, also called an open rotor engine, or unducted fan, is a type of aircraft engine related in concept to both the turboprop and turbofan, but distinct from both. The design is intended to offer the speed and performance of a turbofan, with the fuel economy of a turboprop. A propfan is typically designed with a large number of short, highly twisted blades, similar to the (ducted) fan in a turbofan engine. For this reason, the propfan has been variously described as an "unducted fan" (UDF) or an "ultra-high-bypass (UHB) turbofan".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safran Aircraft Engines</span> Aircraft and rocket engine manufacturer based in France

Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It designs, manufactures and maintains engines for commercial and military aircraft as well as rocket engines for launch vehicles and satellites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Future Combat Air System</span> European sixth-generation jet fighter project

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), is a European combat system of systems under development by Dassault Aviation, Airbus and Indra Sistemas. The FCAS will consist of a Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS) as well as other air assets in the future operational battlespace. The NGWS's components will be remote carrier vehicles as well as a New Generation Fighter (NGF) - a sixth-generation jet fighter that by around 2040 will replace current France's Rafales, Germany's Typhoons and Spain's EF-18 Hornets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blended wing body</span> Aircraft design with no clear divide between fuselage and wing

A blended wing body (BWB), also known as blended body, hybrid wing body (HWB) or a lifting aerofoil fuselage, is a fixed-wing aircraft having no clear dividing line between the wings and the main body of the craft. The aircraft has distinct wing and body structures, which are smoothly blended together with no clear dividing line. This contrasts with a flying wing, which has no distinct fuselage, and a lifting body, which has no distinct wings. A BWB design may or may not be tailless.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerosud</span> Aircraft manufacturer in South Africa

Aerosud is a group of companies with Aerosud Holdings as the parent company. The group is a South African aeronautical engineering and manufacturing company. Aerosud Aerospace was renamed Paramount Aerospace following its acquisition by Paramount Group and Aerosud Innovation and Training Centre (ITC) was incorporated in the AHRLAC Holdings Ahrlac of companies during a 2014 restructuring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrogen-powered aircraft</span> Type of airplane

A hydrogen-powered aircraft is an aeroplane that uses hydrogen fuel as a power source. Hydrogen can either be burned in a jet engine or another kind of internal combustion engine, or can be used to power a fuel cell to generate electricity to power an electric propulsor. It cannot be stored in a traditional wet wing, and hydrogen tanks have to be housed in the fuselage or be supported by the wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of the aerospace industry in the United Kingdom

The aerospace industry of the United Kingdom is the second-largest national aerospace industry in the world and the largest in Europe by turnover, with a global market share of 17% in 2019. In 2020, the industry employed 116,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurocopter X³</span> Type of aircraft

The Eurocopter X³(X-Cubed) is an retired experimental high-speed compound helicopter developed by Airbus Helicopters. A technology demonstration platform for "high-speed, long-range hybrid helicopter" or H³ concept, the X³ achieved 255 knots in level flight on 7 June 2013, setting an unofficial helicopter speed record. In June 2014, it was placed in a French air museum in the village of Saint-Victoret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A320neo family</span> Airliner family, series of improvements across the A320 family

The Airbus A320neo family is an incremental development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus. The A320neo family is based on the previous A319, A320, and A321, which was then retroactively renamed the A320ceo family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuel economy in aircraft</span> Aircraft fuel efficiency

The fuel economy in aircraft is the measure of the transport energy efficiency of aircraft. Fuel efficiency is increased with better aerodynamics and by reducing weight, and with improved engine brake-specific fuel consumption and propulsive efficiency or thrust-specific fuel consumption. Endurance and range can be maximized with the optimum airspeed, and economy is better at optimum altitudes, usually higher. An airline efficiency depends on its fleet fuel burn, seating density, air cargo and passenger load factor, while operational procedures like maintenance and routing can save fuel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AgustaWestland Project Zero</span> 2010s Italian electric tiltrotor aircraft

The AgustaWestland Project Zero is a hybrid tiltrotor/Lift fan aircraft. It has been developed by AgustaWestland as a technology demonstrator, and is used to investigate all-electric propulsion and other advanced technologies. It is the world's first electric tiltrotor aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EGTS</span> Electric powered onboard system for taxiing aircraft

An Electric Green Taxiing System (EGTS) is an electric taxiing system which allows aircraft to taxi and pushback without requiring the use of aircraft engines or a pushback tractor, and is designed to reduce fuel volumes used by aircraft and reduce greenhouse gas emissions during ground operations. EGTS technology enables aircraft to avoid using their main engines during taxiing and instead taxi autonomously under their own electrical power, using the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) generator. The system is designed for single-aisle aircraft, such as the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus Helicopters H160</span> Type of aircraft

The Airbus Helicopters H160 is a medium utility helicopter developed by Airbus Helicopters. Formally launched at Heli-Expo in Orlando, Florida on 3 March 2015, it is intended to replace the AS365 and EC155 models in the firm's lineup. In June 2015, the first test flight took place. It received its EASA type certification in July 2020, and first deliveries were in December 2021.

The Airbus/Rolls-Royce/Siemens E-Fan X was a hybrid electric aircraft demonstrator being developed by a partnership of Airbus, Rolls-Royce plc and Siemens. Announced on 28 November 2017, it followed previous electric flight demonstrators towards sustainable transport for the European Commission’s Flightpath 2050 Vision. A BAe 146 flying testbed was to have one of its four Lycoming ALF502 turbofans replaced by a Siemens 2 MW (2,700 hp) electric motor, adapted by Rolls-Royce and powered by its AE2100 turboshaft, controlled and integrated by Airbus with a 2 t (4,400 lb) battery. In April 2020, the programme was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe (BLADE) is an Airbus project within the European Clean Sky framework to flight-test experimental laminar-flow wing sections on an A340 from September 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus RACER</span> Type of aircraft

The Airbus RACER is an experimental high-speed compound helicopter developed by Airbus Helicopters from the Eurocopter X³. Revealed at the June 2017 Paris air show, final assembly will start in mid-2020 for a 2021 first flight. Cruising up to 400 km/h (216 kn), it aims for a 25% cost reduction per distance over a conventional helicopter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonardo Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor</span> Twin-engine tiltrotor aircraft demonstrator

The Leonardo Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor is a tiltrotor aircraft demonstrator designed and developed by the Italian aerospace company Leonardo S.p.A. Studies for a two times larger tiltrotor than the AgustaWestland AW609 started in 2000. Since 2014, its development is sponsored by the European Union's Clean Sky 2 program. By May 2021, major components were under production By 2023, the maiden flight had been pushed back to 2024, from a 2020 initial plan.

A hybrid electric aircraft is an aircraft with a hybrid electric powertrain. As the energy density of lithium-ion batteries is much lower than aviation fuel, a hybrid electric powertrain may effectively increase flight range compared to pure electric aircraft. By May 2018, there were over 30 hybrid electric aircraft projects, and short-haul hybrid-electric airliners were envisioned from 2032.

The CFM International RISE is an open rotor engine currently under development by CFM International, a 50–50 joint venture between American GE Aerospace and French Safran Aircraft Engines. The engine is planned to support both hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels, and it plans to achieve a 20% reduction in fuel burn and in carbon dioxide emissions compared to its predecessors.

References

  1. "Europe push for greener aviation". 5 February 2008 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  2. Gilbert, Natasha (5 February 2008). "New initiative gives green aircraft research a boost". The Guardian via www.theguardian.com.
  3. "Safran celebrates successful start of Open Rotor demonstrator tests on new open-air test rig in southern France" (Press release). Safran. October 3, 2017.
  4. Michael Gubisch (4 Sep 2017). "Airbus readies laminar-winged A340 for test flights". Flightglobal.
  5. "Lean burn demonstrator". www.rolls-royce.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  6. "Clean Sky 2 cleared for take-off with €4.05B budget - Science-Business". www.sciencebusiness.net.
  7. Graham Warwick (Nov 12, 2018). "The Week in Technology, Nov. 12-19, 2018". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  8. Dominic Perry (21 Nov 2018). "Italy combines capabilities for future tiltrotor". Flight Global.
  9. 1 2 Graham Warwick (Jan 22, 2019). "Research Suggests A320 Is Difficult For Distributed Hybrid-Electric". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  10. "European researchers fly mini-A320 to assess new approach to flight testing". Aerospace Testing International. 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  11. Thierry Dubois (Apr 23, 2019). "EU Players Begin Devising Clean Sky 3 Research Program". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Dominic Perry (23 March 2022). "Clean Aviation takes off as it seeks bids for share of €735m in funding". Flightglobal.