The More Electric and Connected Aircraft (MECA) concept is one of the most promising enablers for achieving the goals of the EU’s Flightpath 2050 for sustainable aviation. However, MECA implies more electrical systems, exchanging more data – that can be safety-critical – and higher electrical power consumption, leading to higher thermal dissipation.
ADENEAS developed enablers for a hybrid data network in which parts of the conventional wiring can be replaced by powerline communication or wireless communication. Modular power electronics were developed for decentralised power network design, targeting dynamic power delivery to consumers. A two-phase cooling system was also developed for the thermal management of power electronics. Nanofeatures were investigated that could further improve the system’s heat transfer. Finally, supporting architectures, design optimisation and standardisation have all been integral parts of ADENEAS.
The result: ADENEAS technologies that make an optimised power and data network feasible, yielding a 456kg weight reduction that gives a 334kg reduction in CO2 emissions for a single flight of about 4,000 km.
Project partners: GKN Fokker Elmo, NLR, Collins Aerospace Ireland, Evektor, plc-tec ADSE, Synano, Eindhoven University of Technology.