Superconducting Motor and Cryo-Cooled Inverter Engine: SOARING
Technology Description:
Raytheon Technologies Research Center, with the University of Tennessee, Hyper Tech Research Inc., the Ohio State University, and Pacific Northwest National Labs will develop a novel 2.5 MW, 5000 rpm Superconducting mOtor And cRyo-cooled Inverter eNGine (SOARING) for aircraft electric propulsion that can achieve greater than 93% efficiency and 12.5 kW/kg power. State-of-the-art cryocoolers are inefficient and heavy, making them impractical to carry on the plane. The proposed complete system consists of a cryogenically cooled aerospace-grade, fully superconducting synchronous motor, a novel wide bandgap semiconductor device-based power converter, and an advanced magnetocaloric adaptive cryocooler. The cryogenic cooling capability is enabled by the aircraft’s carbon-neutral liquid fuel which acts as a heat sink for the electric powertrain. This synergetic approach offers extreme high-power densities and optimizes overall system performance.
Potential Impact:
The ASCEND program has the potential to accelerate innovations and cause disruptive changes in the emerging electric aviation field.
Security:
The program will further enhance U.S. technology dominance in the field of high-performance electric motors for hybrid electric aviation. Electrified aircraft architectures can increase reliability by increasing redundancy.