Posted on 01/31/2024 12:57:03 PM PST by Red Badger
The talking head states “Our hope is that we can Democritize aviation”. Their real hope is that they can raise hundreds of millions from stupid investors, and use it to pay themselves, with no possibility of producing a viable product.
Good system description...more info.:
https://www.electra.aero/news/safran
https://www.electra.aero/news/hybrid-tests
For quick trips in to, and out from, the City States.
When entering City State airspace, a sign flashes for each seat:
YOU ARE LEAVING THE AMERICAN SECTOR
The info density of your posts is high, and you have very interesting perspectives. Thanks for being here.
Could be.
Hybrid 777...
Look up Boeing blended wing those will almost assuredly be powered by electric drive trains tha fan sizes needed to fly one exceed what a mechanical gearbox could spin with reasonable power to weight. Electric drivetrains exceed 20hp per lb. Hybrids vs direct gasturbo alternator driven electric bus is only a battery away both have turbines ,inverters and power busses drop the batteries and it’s just like a ship or locomotive where the engine spins the alternator which spins the high power density motors. Again mechanical drive trains and gear boxes have been left behind they max out in the 6:1 no where near 20:1 or more . High temp Superconductors will be common as well pushing the power to weight into the 30s or more. No need to hate electrics which boomers seem to be butthurt about. Virtually every ship with azipods is electric drive, tugboats same same. Newest Navy ships also electric drive. These are hundreds of megawatt drive trains where mechanical drive would be a maintenance nightmare let alone multiple times heavier. I would bet good money that the next gen of 100,000lb thrust fan engines have electric drivetrains driven by a bank of smaller lighter gas turboalternators the redundancy alone is worth it.
Are you telling me that electric motors exist today that can drive a 112 inch fan and generate 100,000 lbs. of thrust?
And fit within the weight/volume range of the PW 4000?
I am well aware that electric motors propel ships, but ICO ships, weight and volume are not compelling factors. Nor is fuel for the generators.
A hybrid 777 must have two 100,000 lb. thrust engines, enough electric generating capability for them and ALSO carry fuel for said generators. We are talking weight and volume problems, I think.
I am not a “boomer,” and I am not butthurt about EVs.
I AM butthurt about the manner in which the Powers That Be are stealing us poor suffering taxpayers hard-earned money to impose a “green new deal” on us!
AND enriching themselves and their FRiends in the process!
It is totally unnecessary — there is no “man-made” global warming — and a huge, multi-trillion dollar scam!
That is what REALLY bothers me!
The Air Force has already awarded contracts for it’s BWB prototype that from the start are for use with hydrogen power plants.
https://theaviationist.com/2023/08/17/usaf-blended-wing-body-aircraft/
These airframe use 50% less thrust vs a stick and tail design. They also have the interior space for LH2 tanks in spades. No need for two massive engines it’s more efficient to have a while line of fans across the upper tail surface with the added redundancy that this brings. It’s when not if the industry goes electric drive trains. Powered by gas turbines or hightemp fuel cells is the question the advantages once you get to the multi megawatt range is obvious.
10kw per kg is ten times what a piston engine is capable of and beats turbines as well.
https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/07/wright-tests-its-2-megawatt-electric-engines-for-passenger-planes/
50,000lb is enough to push a 767 sized BWB that’s ruffly equal to 50,000hp at 500mph airspeed the HP to thrust is speed dependent. Doubling the size of those motors is in the works that’s ten of them for a full sized BWB or two per fan pod for a five pod set up. Drive those with five 10,000hp turbines spinning high voltage alternators set at the center of mass in the bowels of the airframe. The BWB has plenty of lift vs area to keep wing loading low. The FAA is planing to go to NEXGEN ATC which is all point to point via DGPS the airways system and the hub and spoke will be history. The ideal size for point to point is in the 100-200 passenger range per airframe. 4 megawatt motors in a tail mounted four pack move those sized airframes.
The powers that be are there because no one is doing anything to remove them so you have to play the field with what is the reality not what one wants it to be. Hydrogen is coming so is synthetic aviation fuels that’s the reality.the industry if they want to survive must move into that space.
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