Tag: Research (Page 2 of 4)

Eve Partners with Porsche Consulting on eVTOL Global Manufacturing and Logistics

June 1, 2022 / WIL BALDWIN

São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil – May 31, 2022 – Eve Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EVEX), a leader in the development of next-generation Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) solutions and a carve-out from Embraer S.A. (NYSE: ERJ), announced today that it has chosen Porsche Consulting, Inc. to help define the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) supply chain, global manufacturing and logistics macro strategy.

Considering advanced manufacturing research and innovation, the companies will combine their aeronautic and automotive expertise to support Eve’s implementation plan. The master services agreement that has been entered into by and between the companies includes studies on industrial operation, logistics, supply chain and parts distribution in an unprecedented approach optimized for efficiency, productivity and safety.

The study will address scalability and distributed production as the UAM market evolves to meet projected demand. While digital transformation generates new possibilities for the industry’s use of more agile technologies focusing on business and sustainability goals, comprehensive network solutions are under consideration to meet unique industry needs.

Embraer Presents Energia Family, Four New Aircraft Concepts Using Renewable Energy

November 9, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) has announced a family of concept aircraft that it is exploring to help the industry achieve its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The details of the Energia family, the latest in the company’s Sustainability in Action initiative, were broadcast live via YouTube from Embraer’s manufacturing facility in São José dos Campos.

The company has partnered with an international consortium of engineering universities, aeronautical research institutes, and small and medium-sized enterprises to better understand energy harvesting, storage, thermal management and their applications for sustainable aircraft propulsionThe Energia Family is comprised of four concept aircraft of varying sizes that incorporate different propulsion technologies – electric, hydrogen fuel cell, dual fuel gas turbine, and hybrid-electric.

Energia Hybrid (E9-HE) – hybrid-electric propulsion • up to 90% CO2 emissions reduction • 9 seats • rear-mounted engines • technology readiness –2030

Energia Electric (E9-FE) – full electric propulsion • zero CO2 emissions • 9 seats • aft contra-rotating propeller • technology readiness – 2035

Energia H2 Fuel Cell (E19-H2FC) – hydrogen electric propulsion • zero CO2 emissions • 19 seats • rear-mounted electric engines • technology readiness – 2035

Energia H2 Gas Turbine (E50-H2GT) • hydrogen or SAF/JetA urbine propulsion • up to 100% CO2 emissions reduction • 35 to 50 seats • rear-mounted engines • technology readiness – 2040

Although the Energia airplanes are still on the drawing board, Embraer has already made advances in reducing emissions from its aircraft. It has tested drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), mixes of sugarcane and camelina plant-derived fuel and fossil fuel, on its family of E-Jets. The company is targeting to have all Embraer aircraft SAF-compatible by 2030. Last August, Embraer flew its Electric Demonstrator, a single-engine EMB-203 Ipanema, 100% powered by electricity. A hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator is planned for 2025 and the company’s eVTOL, a fully electric, zero-emissions vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, is being developed to enter service in 2026.

Watch the video presentation below!

Rolls-Royce Strengthens Position in China with New MTU Engine Test Bench

November 2, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Rolls-Royce (London: RR.L) business unit Power Systems is strengthening its research and development (R&D) capabilities in China with a new test bench for MTU engines at the company’s location in Suzhou. The new test bench was inaugurated as part of an event celebrating 25 years of the Rolls-Royce location’s existence. The R&D test bench can accommodate MTU engines with a power output of up to 3,600 kW and will be used to test parts, engines and complete systems for power generation and industrial applications.

The new R&D test bench in Suzhou will first be used for test runs of gensets based on MTU 16V 4000 engines, starting in 2022. It is suitable for testing a wide range of versions of the versatile Series 4000 engine which is also celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year. A further upgrade of the test bench is planned for 2022: The capabilities will be extended to testing MTU Series 2000 engines as well.

The company opened its first facility in Suzhou 25 years ago to provide customers in China with faster and more efficient after-sale services in applications such as railway, marine and power generation. Suzhou later became the third production base for MTU engines globally at that time, responsible for the assembly of MTU Series 2000 gendrive engines. Branches in Beijing, Shanghai and Dalian were also established gradually. In October 2021, the former MTU Engineering (Suzhou) Co.,Ltd. was renamed Rolls-Royce Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

With the new test bench, the localization strategy of Rolls-Royce Power Systems in Suzhou is now covering the whole process ranging from sales and services to manufacturing and R&D.

Hilton Hotels Named One of Sri Lanka’s Best Workplaces

July 5, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Colombo, Sri Lanka – Global research and consulting firm Great Place to Work^® announced Hilton Worldwide Holdings (NYSE: HLT) placement on this year’s Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka list. This is the second time that Hilton has been named one of Sri Lanka’s Best Workplaces.

The accolade had been awarded to Hilton following a survey by Great Place to Work^® of over 100 registrations representing 51,000 employees in Sri Lanka. The survey assesses employees’ perceptions of leadership, organizational culture and trust, and is critical to a company being selected to the list of Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka. To be eligible for this list, organizations must be certified by the firm in the past year. A total of 40 companies were named in the list this year.

Recognising the importance of mental wellness, Hilton has incorporated a series of family-focused benefits for team members, including flexible working environments and mental health campaigns. Hilton also provides a variety of resources and programs aimed at attracting, developing and supporting team members at various stages of their careers. Through the Thrive@Hilton Program, Hilton supports team members in their professional and personal growth. Globally, Hilton also provides further learning and development opportunities through Hilton University, its Executive Committee Networking Program, as well as team member benefits such as Go Hilton.

Further to creating opportunities for its team members, Hilton had also launched a specially-curated female development program in Sri Lanka in March 2021 through a partnership with the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. Translating to “female courage,” Hilton Liya Diriya aims to provide training opportunities for local female students keen to build a career in hospitality, and in doing so, advance women’s economic empowerment and grow the country’s hospitality talent pool.

Future Combat Air Program Tempest Poised to Drive Productivity Across United Kingdom

May 25, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

The Tempest program is expected to generate long-term high value employment, with productivity per worker 78% higher than the national average, underlining how this exciting programme can make a significant contribution to the UK Government’s levelling up priorities and the wider economy.

The program is being delivered by Team Tempest – combining the expertise of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce. Working with international partners, the team is leading progress towards a UK-led internationally collaborative Future Combat Air System which will ensure the Royal Air Force and its allies retain world-leading, independent military capability.

Key to the success of Tempest is delivering this highly-advanced capability more rapidly and more cost effectively than ever before.

Investment by industry and MOD in research and development for Tempest will generate positive spill-over benefits for the wider economy through applications of new technologies in other sectors and driving innovation in collaboration with hundreds of companies, SMEs and academic organisations.

Click the link below to read the full story!

https://www.baesystems.com/en/article/the-economic-impact-of-the-tempest-programme

Lufthansa Airbus A350-900 “Erfurt” Will Become Climate Research Aircraft

April 7, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Predicting the weather even more accurately, analyzing climate changes even more precisely, researching even better how the world is developing. This is the goal of a globally unique cooperation between Lufthansa and several research institutes.

Converting an aircraft into a climate research plane poses major challenges. Lufthansa has chosen the most modern and economical long-haul jet in its fleet – an Airbus A350-900 named “Erfurt” (registration D-AIXJ). In three stages, the “Erfurt” will now become a flying research laboratory.

In Lufthansa Technik’s hangar in Malta, the first and most extensive conversion work was carried out. Preparations were made for a complex air intake system below the belly. This was followed by a series of test insertions, at the end of which came the certification of a climate research laboratory weighing around 1.6 tons, the so-called CARIBIC measurement laboratory. The acronym CARIBIC stands for “Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container” is part of a comprehensive European research consortium.

The “Erfurt” is expected to take off from Munich at the end of 2021 for its first flight in the service of climate research, measuring around 100 different trace gases, aerosol and cloud parameters in the tropopause region (at an altitude of nine to twelve kilometers). Lufthansa is thus making a valuable contribution to climate research, which can use these unique data to assess the performance of current atmospheric and climate models and thus their predictive power for the Earth’s future climate. The special feature: Climate-relevant parameters can be recorded at this altitude with much greater accuracy and temporal resolution on board the aircraft than with satellite-based or ground-based systems.

The A350 conversion, which has now been launched, was preceded by an ex-tremely elaborate planning and development phase of about four years involving more than ten companies (in particular Lufthansa, Lufthansa Technik, Airbus, Saf-ran, enviscope, and Dynatec) as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as representative of a larger scientific consortium.

The Lufthansa Group has been a reliable partner of climate research since 1994 and has since equipped several aircraft with special instruments. This is now the first time worldwide on an Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

First 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel Study on Commercial Jet Emissions Launched

March 18, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France, 18 March 2021 – A team of aerospace specialists has launched the world’s first in-flight emissions study using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on a wide-body commercial passenger aircraft. Airbus, German research centre DLR, Rolls-Royce and SAF producer Neste have teamed up to start the pioneering ‘Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels’ (ECLIF3) project looking into the effects of 100% SAF on aircraft emissions and performance.

Findings from the study – to be carried out on the ground and in the air using an Airbus A350-900 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines – will support efforts currently underway at Airbus and Rolls-Royce to ensure the aviation sector is ready for the large-scale use of SAF as part of the wider initiative to decarbonise the industry.

A team of aerospace specialists has launched the world’s first in-flight emissions study using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on a wide-body commercial passenger aircraft.

Fuel-clearance engine tests, including a first flight to check operational compatibility of using 100% SAF with the aircraft’s systems, started at Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse, France, this week. These will be followed by the ground-breaking flight-emissions tests due to start in April and resuming in the Autumn, using DLR’s Falcon 20-E ‘chase plane’ to carry out measurements to investigate the emissions impact of using SAF. Meanwhile, further ground tests measuring particulate-matter emissions are set to indicate the environmental impact of SAF-use on airport operations.

Both the flight and the ground tests will compare emissions from the use of 100% SAF produced with HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) technology against those from fossil kerosene and low-sulphur fossil kerosene.

The SAF will be provided by Neste, a leading worldwide supplier of sustainable aviation fuel. Additional measurement and analysis for the characterisation of the particulate-matter emissions during the ground testing will be delivered by the UK’s University of Manchester and the National Research Council of Canada.

Icelandair Flies to Antarctica and Back

March 3, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Last week, an Icelandair (Iceland: ICEAIR.IC) Boeing 767 (TF-ISN), landed at Troll airfield (QAT) at the Troll research station operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The flight was operated by Loftleiðir (Icelandair’s charter-flight subsidiary) to offload provisions for the research station’s staff who will remain at Troll this winter, and to pick up scientists returning to Norway after their summer service. Some of the scientists had been at Troll for 16 months and were happy to be heading home.

The flight

The journey involved a lot of planning due to the unique conditions, and involved 6 pilots, 13 crew and 1 flight engineer.

From Keflavík airport in Iceland, the plane flew nonstop to Cape Town, South Africa, where it paused for a rest and refueling stop. Some of the team stayed in Cape Town and the remainder flew 4,332km south to Troll in 5 hours and 43 minutes.

After a 2-hour layover at Troll, the aircraft returned with the Norwegian passengers to Cape Town, picked up the fresh crew, and continued on to Oslo, then home to Iceland.

According to flight commander August Hakansson, landing conditions at Troll were far better than forecast. And the worst weather of the entire trip was upon the return to Keflavík!

The flight route was so unusual that it attracted worldwide attention from aviation fans and media, including over 30,000 followers on Flightradar. And although it might seem crazy, this isn’t Icelandair’s first time in the Deep South – back in 2015, Icelandair became the first commercial airline to land a plane on a blue-ice runway in Antarctica.

Click the link below to read the full story!

https://www.icelandair.com/blog/icelandair-flies-to-antarctica/

Rolls-Royce Signs MoU with Fermi Energia for Compact Nuclear Power Stations

March 2, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Rolls-Royce (London: RR.L) and Fermi Energia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to study the potential for the deployment of affordable, compact nuclear power stations, known as small modular reactors (SMR), in Estonia. The study will cover all aspects of deployment including grid suitability, cooling, emergency planning, human resources, licensing feasibility, economics and supply chain.

Rolls-Royce is leading a consortium that is designing a low-cost factory built nuclear power station, known as a small modular reactor (SMR). Its standardised, factory-made components and advanced manufacturing processes push costs down, while the rapid assembly of the modules and components inside a weatherproof canopy on the power station site itself avoid costly schedule disruptions.

Fermi Energia is a company founded by nuclear scientists, energy experts and entrepreneurs to bring small modular reactors to Estonia to meet its climate goals, help the economy develop and gain energy security.

The consortium led by Rolls-Royce is working with its partners and UK Government to secure a commitment for a fleet of factory built nuclear power stations, each providing at least 440MW of electricity, to be operational within a decade, helping the governments around the world net zero obligations.

The consortium members feature the best of nuclear engineering, construction and infrastructure expertise in Assystem, Atkins, BAM Nuttall, Jacobs, Laing O’Rourke, National Nuclear Laboratory, Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Rolls-Royce and TWI. The current phase of the programme has been jointly funded by all consortium members and UK Research and Innovation.

The power stations will be built by the UKSMR consortium, before being handed over to be operated by power generation companies.

American Airlines Names Adriane M. Brown To Board of Directors

February 22, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) today announced the election of Adriane M. Brown, 62, to its board of directors. Brown will also serve on the company’s Audit and Corporate Governance and Public Responsibility committees.

Brown currently serves as managing partner at Seattle-based venture capital firm Flying Fish Partners. She also sits on the boards of Axon Enterprise, Inc., eBay Inc. and the Washington Research Foundation/WRF Capital.

Brown has held a number of senior leadership positions during her career, including president and chief operating officer at Intellectual Ventures Management, LLC, president and CEO of Transportation Systems and vice president and GM of two aerospace divisions at Honeywell International Inc. Brown launched her career at Corning Incorporated and rose to hold several senior roles. She previously served on the boards of The Raytheon Company, Allergan plc and Harman International Industries, Incorporated.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental health from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The flight

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