Leading Advanced Turbine Research for Hybrid Electric Propulsion Systems

Sponsor: NASA-University Leadership Initiative

Collaborators: Collins Aerospace, CVD Mesoscribe, Georgia Tech, Howard University, Pratt & Whitney

NASA ULI Hybrid Propulsion Video

Hybridization of aircraft propulsion, which is particularly well-suited for single-aisle medium- and short-haul aircraft, offers opportunistic benefits in reducing energy, carbon emissions, noise, maintenance cost, and cash operating cost. NASA has laid the foundation for a successful progression of hybrid electric propulsion systems that highlights the need to meet the challenges of smaller and highly efficient cores. The objective of the proposed work is to optimize the gas turbine design for hybrid electric propulsion to meet turbine efficiencies equal to that of large cores, and reduce the energy consumption of the turbine by 8-12% over the entire flight envelope.