Description: We propose the development of a high efficiency integrated electric turbofan directly driven with a high frequency, air-core synchronous motor. If the projected efficiency and specific power are achieved, this technology can increase the viability of turbo-electric airplanes for commercial air transport, leading to significantly lower carbon emissions and fuel use. The key innovation is the use of high fundamental frequencies and a mostly air-core electromagnetic architecture. The aerospace industry employs 400 Hz ‘ac’ to keep component weights low. Hinetics is planning to introduce products that push these frequencies up by an order of magnitude. The machine is transformed from the traditional metal-intense design to a composite and silicon-intense design. The new architecture is projected to improve machine power density by a factor of two over current best-in-class machines, with simplified air cooling, while achieving 98% efficiency. Additionally, the radially thin geometry, with self-pumped air cooling, lends itself nicely to integration within a ducted turbofan. A proof of concept high frequency MW scale motor has been developed by the University of Illinois under a NASA funded project. The design leverages recent advances in Wide Band-Gap (WBG) power electronic devices to obtain a high fundamental frequency while keeping current and voltage harmonics low. Hinetics LLC will build on this technology to develop an integrated electric tail-cone propulsor for commercial transport aircraft. Computer modeling in the SBIR Phase I project has confirmed that the high frequency motor can be tightly integrated with a propulsion fan at the scale of NASA's STARC-ABL airplane concept and achieve high efficiency (2 points higher than best-in-class) while retaining cooling and power-to-weight advantages. In Phase II, Hinetics would like to validate this with a hardware demonstration, and build partnerships with Tier I suppliers to commercialize the technology.

Benefits: The initial target of the proposed technology is in the Tail Cone Thruster of NASA's STARC-ABL airplane concept. More broadly, the high frequency motor being developed could be an attractive choice for use in series hybrid electric propulsors and for integration into parallel hybrid jet engines. The technology can be scaled for all electric/hyrbid-electric propulsion applications at NASA, and the aerospace industry in general, for airplanes ranging from small regional jets to large single aisle aircraft.

The tightly integrated electric propulsor concept described in this proposal offers weight and efficiency advantages over a range of power and speeds. The technology could be applied to a number of emerging air vehicle concepts ranging from commercial transport airplanes to large on-demand mobility vehicles.