Questions tagged [electric-engine]

Electric engine used as non conventional propulsion system of an aircraft.

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Cruise-climb in glider with electric motor?

I have been looking for the definition of cruise-climb for gliders that use an electric motor, but so far I have only been able to find a definition based on liquid fuel. I'm asking because that ...
andy's user avatar
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Why ionocrafts (ionic propelld aircrafts) don't use electromagnetism to improve performance?

Well, ionocrafts use ion wind in order to propel itself in the air, but that needs a lot of surface area in order to work. And since ionised gases can be magnetically manipulated, I was wondering if ...
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Why don’t ionocrafts (ionic propelled aircrafts) use ducted ionic thrusters instead of open air thrusters?

The most famous example of inonocraft is the aircraft with no-moving parts propulsion made by the MIT. A problem of ionic thrusters is that they only generate a gram of thrust for every watt, which ...
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Use of Fuses in modern Aircraft Systems

Are Fuses allowed in the control electronics of an airplane? Are Fuses allowed in the electronic power paths which supply actuators? Thank you in advance.
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Could ducted propellers improve efficiency in small drones?

I have seen that a new electric airplane design has decided to a choose ducted propeller design somewhat similar to the one of jet engines, explaining this design choice with the fact the ducted ...
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Instead of battery why we don't use some perpetual energy source? Atomic Energy? [duplicate]

Right now the biggest issue of the electric plane is carrying a large battery to store energy proportional to its consumption for long-range, to increase range we use a larger battery. Even solar ...
Tikam Alma's user avatar
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Who is the manufacturer of the power inverter used by Ampaire electric aircraft?

Please see the picture within this article.
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Comparison: e-aircraft vs. ground EV modes (car, coach, rail)

I'm looking for (and struggling to find) a comparison for any e-aircraft vs. ground EV modes (car, coach, rail) carrying an equivalent payload, an equivalent distance. So basically, if you fly from ...
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Turbo-electric engine vs high by-pass-ratio Turbo fan, which config. would seem more efficient? (Liquid Hydrogen Fuel)

Would be a turbo-electric config using 2 turbofans as generators for a 150 pax. aircraft more efficient than a very high bypass rationed Turbofan that burns hydrogen? If not, then why are all ...
Sherlock Homies's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
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Performance metrics of a propulsion system - optimising a propulsive fan system [closed]

I'm designing an electric fan propulsion system for a hybrid-electric business jet. The hybrid business jet uses a series hybrid configuration and distributed electric propulsion. The electric fan ...
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Replacing or supplementing turbofan with electric fan [duplicate]

Could you replace 2 B747 engines with electric turbofans? Could the 2 standard turbofans produce enough power to allow electric cruise with jets used for take off?
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Could a Combined Inverted Brayton Cycle and rankine cycle engine be used as a power source in a high altitude hybrid aircraft?

Combined Cycle Power Plant for Hybrid Aeroplane. Background Inverted Gas Turbine From the Institute of Combustion Technology - DLR MGT = Micro Gas Turbine IBC = Inverted Brayton Cycle In the inverse ...
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How does altitude affect the TAS and thrust of an electric fan powered aircraft?

I'm confused about the relation between IAS, TAS, thrust, and shaft power, for an electric application. Yes, higher air is thinner, and thrust goes down due to higher airspeed. What I've researched ...
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Make a 3 engine turboprop electric or steam hybrid aircraft?

Was thinking about this, have a 2 engine regular turboprop with a third electric engine for extra performance (imagine a DC3 like the Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three). The 3rd electric engine would be run from ...
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How many mid-ocean battery swaps are needed for an electric A380 to refly the first transatlantic flight?

Context To understand what the current level of electric airplane propulsion is with respect to large passenger airliners I developed the following question: Question How many battery swaps would be ...
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Is this plasma-thruster experiment actually measuring thrust? [closed]

This experiment, which is being presented as an initial exploration of the feasibility of using microwave-generated plasmas in a sort of electic jet engine, has been attracting some attention in the ...
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For electric aircraft, is MTOW = Empty weight + Maximum payload?

Electric aircrafts and most drones have simple powertrains, and their weight does not vary along the flight. After reviewing this thread I assume that: MTOW = Empty weight (batteries incl) + max ...
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How to select and electric propulsion system for my experimental Ultralight?

I've been trying to design and build, my experimental Ultralight using electric propulsion system, My plane designed base on Slaler and Gensis ultralight , following is the primary calculation Empty ...
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4 answers
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Is it possible to reload Electric Aircraft in mid-air from a tanker aircraft?

Can this be done military style refueling but with an electric wire boom supplying current from tanker aircraft to electric aircraft mid air in flight? Electricity from the tanker craft can be ...
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If, one day, we have an electric airplane, will it be easier to control than a fuelled airplane?

Elon Musk said that Tesla will make battery which can last for million miles. So probably in the next few years there will be a (small) airplane powered by an electric motor rather than by fuel. If ...
AirCraft Lover's user avatar
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Is it possible to have a fully electric airliner?

Is it possible to have a fully electric airliner? How much room would have to be sacrificed for a power bank in these aircraft to allow similar range to the current models (e.g., A320, 737, etc.)? ...
George Clooney In a Mooney's user avatar
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Electric trainer aircraft has engine weighing 11Kg , how much would a comparable conventional engine weigh?

The Pipstrel Alpha Electro Trainer has an electric engine which weighs 11Kg. How much would the engine of a comparable gasoline powered aircraft weigh ?
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If propeller-driven planes with electric engine became the norm, would descent for landing with the engines turned off become a routine procedure?

To elaborate on the question: I know that in modern fossil fuel-driven aircraft turning the engines off during descent and/or landing approach isn't feasible for safety reasons (which makes total ...
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Where can I place an engine in a twist morphing wing?

I am designing an electric aircraft with a wing that is completely based on the idea of biomimicry, whereas the wing has multiple winglets and can also morph by twisting. It is more like an experiment ...
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Are there any plans, designs, or prototypes for an electric ground effect vehicle?

I have been searching around for any plans, designs, or prototypes for a small GEV. All I have found is a ground effect gas powered like this link: or an all ...
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What is the working principle of VFG [duplicate]

How does the VFG make various frequencies? And while it makes the other value of frequency, how the generator apply consistent 400Hz to the other component?
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Eviation Alice Powerplant Placement

I saw an article from the BBC about the Eviation Alice this morning that left me puzzled. The design is a tail wheel tri-motor with the power plants located in a pusher configuration at the wing tips ...
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How far would an all electric A380 fly? [closed]

I have edited this to one question and thank you for all the feedback . I am trying to understand if there are any theoretical improvements in range when applying electric propulsion to large ...
Austin's user avatar
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4 answers
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Could a hybrid electric steam plane be more efficient at altitude than at sea-level, and how to optimise it to frigid air?

In the thirties a steam powered plane was built. video Could a hybrid electric steam plane be more efficient at altitude than at sea-level, and how could such a steam engine be optimised to benefit ...
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How hard would it be to convert a glider into an powered electric aircraft?

How hard would it be to convert a glider into an powered electric aircraft? I'm thinking something that looks like this: Would it be as simple as mounting two electric motors and props to the wings ...
Daniel Caoili's user avatar
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1 answer
404 views

Why can’t electric motors be used in aviation [duplicate]

Why can’t electric motors be used in aviation? Is it a problem with batteries, torque, or what? From what I’m aware motors at high torque are expensive and need a massive footprint, than a high rpm ...
Useruuu's user avatar
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1 answer
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What operational aspects of Alphabet's Wing drone delivery service will be the same as that of an airline?

The NPR News article and podcast FAA Certifies Google's Wing Drone Delivery Company To Operate As An Airline begins with: The Federal Aviation Administration has certified Alphabet's Wing Aviation to ...
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Proportionally, what is more affected by a hot and high takeoff - a electrically driven propeller or a turbofan?

My assumption would be the electrically driven propeller would be less affected compared to turbofans at high altitudes and take off as although the air would be less dense at these ambient conditions,...
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For slow-flying ultralights, how would a delta wing compare to a biplane layout of equal wing area?

Context: By "slow-flying" I refer to ultralights that can be classed as "motorfloaters" - similar wing loading to a hang-glider, stall speed below 40km/h, cruise speed not much above. I'm interested ...
Thomas Bullock's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
481 views

Would there be a purpose for a set of compressors in an electric turbo fan?

This is actually a two part question. Would there be a purpose to a compressor in an electric turbofan where there is no need for a combustion chamber, and if not, is there then a purpose for a bypass ...
No One's user avatar
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1 answer
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Could an electric airliner be aerotowed to cruise altitude by an electric "tug" aircraft?

The low energy density of batteries make electric aircraft need a high ratio of battery to payload. Take off and climb to cruising altitude could account for a substantial fraction of the energy ...
Tony Cooke's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
491 views

Does the Lilium VTOL wings produces lift during takeoff?

I just had a look on some of the recent development in the personal VTOL electrical aircrafts. I am wondering if the Lilium VTOL wings produces lift during takeoff? I would expect a quit high wind ...
Mokus's user avatar
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5 answers
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Does the required torque to spin a propeller increase with RPM?

I‘ve currently been experimenting with different propellers: 12x12 prop, 16x12 prop (both two blades) and a 22x14 (6 blades) prop. They were propelled by a 2.4 kW electric motor with 260 kV on a 6S/...
Simon Henn's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
143 views

What‘s the diameter of the engines of the Airbus E-Fan?

does somebody know the diameter of the E-Fan‘s engines ? To me the look like around 80cm or what do you think ? Also, with more and wider blades and 60 kW motors instead of 30 couldn‘t they get much ...
Simon Henn's user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
2k views

Are there any hybrid electric planes?

Are there any hybrid planes (planned), or would this be impossible because we don't have big enough batteries?
Squareoot's user avatar
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16 votes
1 answer
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What is an "all-electric APU"?

Understand that the APS5000 used in the B787 is the first all-electric APU for large commercial aircraft. Source: http://www.pwc.ca/en/engines/auxiliary-power-units Sorry if this sounds too ...
onetime's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is there a limit to the possible altitude for electric jets?

So I was thinking about Elon Musk's supersonic electric jet idea. Assuming we have sufficiently energy-dense batteries, where would the limits be in terms of speed and altitude. His logic seems to ...
user15864's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Why do brushless motors heat up? [closed]

I would like to know what makes a brushless motor heat up. I'm aware of the problems generating the high temperature such as wire contact problems or overloaded motors. I want to know what makes a ...
Mohamed Bkekria's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does a "take-off" assist make sense for electric aircraft?

There is already a good answer that talks about how a catapult provides virtually no benefit for fuel-based aircraft. However, I'm wondering if the same answer is true for electric planes? For ...
David Wohlferd's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
448 views

Are fully electric helicopters suitable for military operations?

I read this question about diesel-electric (DE) helicopters, which sparked the following question: Are fully electric helicopters suitable for military operations? They are more silent, and electric ...
Hugo Woesthuis's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
120 views

How do I determine the maximum thrust that a Tesla powertrain (P100D for example) could produce if attached to a single propeller?

I am theorizing a drone helicopter from a tesla powertrain (P100D). Lets assume the system is theoretically maximized with an optimum propeller (this is what I am currently stuck on). How much thrust ...
Dr-Brando's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
281 views

Is this scheme for a single-fan electric airship with a rocket-like geometry workable?

I am currently designing a vertical take-off and landing vehicle that uses a Tesla powertrain connected to an electric ducted fan. Please comment on if my thought process is sound on my feasibility ...
Dr-Brando's user avatar
57 votes
6 answers
13k views

What energy density is required for the batteries in order to make an all-electric analogue of the Cessna 150 or similar plane?

I think I have some general understanding that at the present moment even with the best possible batteries, a 2 seater training aircraft (like the C-150) would be very impractical. I'm not even ...
Electric Pilot's user avatar
14 votes
6 answers
15k views

What's the use of so much torque on propellers?

(This question is closely related to this question) A typical Cessna 172 has a 180 hp engine, with a max. rotational velocity of 2700 RPM. Even small 1 hp electrical motors can achieve that RPM, and ...
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10 votes
3 answers
3k views

What does the 'hp' rating actually signify, with respect to an aircraft engine?

Let's say I've got a Cessna C172S with a Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine that produces 180 hp (that's the power output for sure). Let's say I've also got a water pump, that is rated at 1 hp (power input or ...
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