Flight of an aeroplane with solid-state propulsion

Haofeng Xu, Yiou He, Kieran L. Strobel, Christopher K. Gilmore, Sean P. Kelley, Cooper C. Hennick, Thomas Sebastian, Mark R. Woolston, David J. Perreault and Steven R. H. Barrett ()
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Haofeng Xu: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Yiou He: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kieran L. Strobel: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Christopher K. Gilmore: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sean P. Kelley: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cooper C. Hennick: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thomas Sebastian: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory
Mark R. Woolston: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory
David J. Perreault: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Steven R. H. Barrett: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature, 2018, vol. 563, issue 7732, 532-535

Abstract: Abstract Since the first aeroplane flight more than 100 years ago, aeroplanes have been propelled using moving surfaces such as propellers and turbines. Most have been powered by fossil-fuel combustion. Electroaerodynamics, in which electrical forces accelerate ions in a fluid1,2, has been proposed as an alternative method of propelling aeroplanes—without moving parts, nearly silently and without combustion emissions3–6. However, no aeroplane with such a solid-state propulsion system has yet flown. Here we demonstrate that a solid-state propulsion system can sustain powered flight, by designing and flying an electroaerodynamically propelled heavier-than-air aeroplane. We flew a fixed-wing aeroplane with a five-metre wingspan ten times and showed that it achieved steady-level flight. All batteries and power systems, including a specifically developed ultralight high-voltage (40-kilovolt) power converter, were carried on-board. We show that conventionally accepted limitations in thrust-to-power ratio and thrust density4,6,7, which were previously thought to make electroaerodynamics unfeasible as a method of aeroplane propulsion, are surmountable. We provide a proof of concept for electroaerodynamic aeroplane propulsion, opening up possibilities for aircraft and aerodynamic devices that are quieter, mechanically simpler and do not emit combustion emissions.

Keywords: Solid-state Actuators; Thrust Density; Steady Level Flight; High Voltage Power Converter (HVPC); Geometric Programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0707-9

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