FARNBOROUGH—Collins Aerospace has passed the preliminary design review (PDR) for the European Union’s Clean Aviation HECATE project to develop high-voltage electric power distribution and conversion technologies focused on the 100-250-kW power range for regional aircraft.
“We’re on track to get to technology readiness level [TRL] 4 and are in our critical design phase, which we aim to complete by the end of this year,” says Kalyani Menon, senior chief engineer for Propulsion Electrification at Collins Aerospace. “The aim for us is to demonstrate the entire end-to-end distribution system for up to 500 kW at a TRL 5 level by the end of next year,” she adds.
The HECATE (Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft Distribution Technologies) project, which involves 37 partners and is led by Collins Aerospace Ireland, is part of Clean Aviation’s focus on technologies targeting a 30% net reduction of aircraft greenhouse gases by 2035 and zero emissions by 2050. The PDR covered completion for both the power conversion and secondary distribution system developed by Collins.
Safran, another partner, has also reached the same PDR stage for the demonstrator’s primary distribution, power management and cabling. Other HECATE partners include Airbus and Leonardo, as well as other divisions of Collins and Safran, and others.
“The aim would be for us to go into flight with this configuration under a potential Clean Aviation Phase 2 program,” Menon adds.
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