WGU ZAS0014

Written evidence submitted by Dr Robert Bolam, Wrexham Glyndwr University

Introduction

My name is Dr Robert Bolam and I am a Reader in Aeronautical Engineering at Wrexham Glyndwr University (WGU) and the manager of the WGU Aircraft Electrical Propulsion Laboratory. I am submitting this evidence to assist the UK Government in making informed decisions when investing UK tax revenues to combat climate change and in its ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. I have focused this submission on measures to promote the development and use of low carbon technologies as addressed in [1]. I wish to respond to the following two questions posed by the Committee:

• What new technologies are there to reduce emissions from aircraft / shipping vessels and how close to commercialisation are they?

As mentioned in your Call, there are many feasible technologies that are already available to reduce emissions from aircraft. Such as aerodynamic drag minimisation, the combustion of climate friendly fuels and the installation of zero-emission power plant and energy storage devices. Some of these technologies are already at a very advanced state of readiness and could be quickly and effectively implemented.

The greatest challenge to zero-emission aviation is the onboard storage and release of electrical energy and the most promising technologies are, hydrogen fuel cells, Lithium Ion batteries, Metal-air batteries, and Supercapacitors. Lithium-air and Sodium-air batteries potentially offer the best Energy and Power Densities although they are not yet close to commercialisation [2,3]. 

At the WGU AEP laboratory, our research team is in an industrial collaborative partnership with six Small to Medium sized UK Enterprises (SMEs) to develop a novel electrical propulsion device, namely the FAST-Fan, some of these partner SMEs being new to the aviation industry. The FAST-fan device is intended primarily for unmanned aircraft propulsion although, it could be adapted as a power-plant for high-speed civil aircraft distributed propulsion systems. The FAST-Fan has been specifically designed to provide high thrust per frontal area and the demonstrator prototype is currently under construction and nearing Technology Readiness Level (TRL) four.

The “closeness” of a technology to its commercialisation depends on the urgency assigned to its need. We have recently been reminded of this with the search for an effective vaccine to combat the current pandemic. Therefore, the more the UK Government encourages and prioritises the search for new technologies to reduce emissions, then the sooner they are likely to become available.                

• How should the Government’s net zero aviation strategy support UK industry in the development and uptake of technologies, fuels and infrastructure to deliver net zero shipping and aviation?

The UK Government’s net zero aviation strategy and associated support to UK industry is extremely important to the future of our aviation industry. It is also an opportunity for a wave of technical innovation to cascade into many other UK industries.

• The radical solutions required to realise a new era in zero-emission technology are more likely to be developed by individuals, SMEs, universities, and research organisations than by large, commercial aircraft and powerplant manufacturers. The UK Government should therefore support academic led collaborations alongside industry and provide encouragement to individuals and SMEs to link with universities and research organisations to develop the new technologies required.    
• The strategy should provide support to competitive initiatives to encourage technical innovation and developments, for example:
• The first purely electrical commercial passenger flight across the Atlantic.
• The first purely electrically powered supersonic aircraft.
• The UK Government should prioritise support to companies having their head offices based in the UK. This is particularly relevant in relation to the political and funding stream changes brought about by Brexit, and to decisions about terminating UK Government funded projects prior to their completion [4].    
• The Government’s strategy should address the inertia to change which is present in the large commercial aircraft manufacturing sector. For example, the performance benefits of Blended Wing Body airframe designs are well understood and would considerably reduce civil aircraft fuel burn. However, over the past seventy years civil aircraft have remained with the same tube and wing designs.

References

[1]              HoC Briefing paper Number 8826, 12 February 2021

[2]               http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/UPEC.2018.8541945

[3]              https://doi.org/10.1109/UPEC49904.2020.9209783

[4]              https://www.airbus.com/innovation/zero-emission/electric-flight/e-fan-x.html

September 2021