Airbus and CERN develop superconducting power systems for aircraft

[pinball1970]

TL;DR

Airbus and CERN to partner on superconducting technologies for future clean aviation

https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/...o-partner-on-superconducting-technologies-for

"Airbus UpNext, a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus, and CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, are launching a project to evaluate how superconductivity can contribute to the decarbonisation of future aircraft systems. The Super-Conductor for Aviation with Low Emissions (SCALE) demonstrator aims to promote the adaptation and adoption of superconducting technologies in airborne electrical distribution systems."

Also on the CERN site.

https://home.cern/news/news/knowledge-sharing/cern-and-airbus-partnership-future-clean-aviation

“Superconducting technologies have fuelled some of the greatest discoveries in high-energy physics and, if applied to aircraft power distribution systems, would drastically reduce their weight and increase their efficiency."

Also featured in this months edition of "Air International" March 2023 where this was spotted by @Astranut - thank you.

 

[Baluncore]

Aircraft typically fly at 10 km, (30,000 ft ASL), where the air temperature is stable at -67°C.
There are now high-temperature superconductors approaching those temperatures.
It does seem sensible to watch that space.

 

[berkeman]

So the objective is to reduce the weight of the conductors from the batteries or fuel cells to the electric motors on the wings? Seems like a bit of overkill without more explanation. They could use HV transmission of the energy to reduce the size and weight of the conductors too, and the expense of the voltage conversion units...

 

[Baluncore]

Seems like a bit of overkill without more explanation.

There will be some military/defence applications for SC at altitude.

Maybe the upper surface of a wing will become PV silicon, with SC interconnects and motors.

There are solar UAVs being tested in USA at 60,000 ft, climbing and charging during the day, then glide and battery during the night.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_SolarEagle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAE_Systems_PHASA-35
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_Zephyr
https://simpleflying.com/airbus-zephyr-flight-ends/
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N469TN
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ZULU82

 

[pinball1970]

Just to add in the same magazine and on the NASA website

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/glenn/2023/nasas-x-57-maxwell-is-major-step-closer-to-flight-readiness

This was a thread on pf a few years ago

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/electric-aviation-developments.875909/