Efficient Systems and Propulsion for Small Aircraft
The project "Efficient Systems and Propulsion for Small aircraft" -ESPOSA-, has as its main object the development of small turbine engines, power up to 1000kW, to equip (civilian) aircraft with a maximum transport capacity of 19 passengers (regulated by CS23 - FAR-23).
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Project title: Efficient Systems and Propulsion for Small Aircraft
Capacity Program: Ctr. 204 EU/25.06.2013
Project acronym: ESPOSA
The total budget of the project (in EURO): 37,710,538.95
Project duration (months): 48
Project start date (month/year): October/2011
Project completion date (month/year): September/2015
Project summary
The technologies and knowledge accumulated throughout the activities of this project become components of the knowledge usable by the European aeronautics industry for the construction of less polluting propulsion units, with minimized operating costs and a high degree of safety. One of the important objectives is the significant reduction of the operating volume allocated to the propulsion system on board the aircraft, which directly contributes to reducing operating costs, increasing safety and flight comfort.
Special attention is also paid to the aggregates that serve the engine with the turbine, as an integrated part of the engine that significantly contributes to the performance and qualities of the engine targeted in the project. Along with the new technologies for the components of the propulsion system based on turbine engines, in the objectives of the programmed activities there are also the technologies of electronic control of the operation of the entire system with a monitoring of the current technical state and providing support for advanced solutions of the lubrication and power system.
Since the performance of an engine is dependent to a large extent on its installation in and on the supporting structure of the aircraft, one of the sub-projects of the organizational structure of activities in ESPOSA deals with advanced methods for the integration of the propulsion system with the supporting structure. Thus, the project contributes to the outline of the installation standard of the propulsion system, which increases the degree of preparation for rapid integration on the aircraft’s supporting structure.
The technologies used for the design of the targeted propulsion system are evaluated using installations and test benches on the ground, as well as extensive flight tests, so as to obtain the demonstration at a high level of the solutions developed by the project activities.
The research and development content of the ESPOSA project is complementary to the technological fields of the Clean Sky technological initiatives program and uses the results obtained in the field of propulsion from the European project CESAR (Cost-Effective Small Aircraft), to which the National Institute of Aerospace Research and Development was also a part – INCAS Bucharest.