The thermodynamic cycle used in a gas turbine (GT) has undergone little change since its early development. Over the last decades effort has been put into increasing efficiency through reducing losses and raising overall pressure ratio and peak temperature. To break out of current limits a different cycle is required. One of the most promising is the case where a pressure rise across the combustion process is allowed. Cycle models show that such a change would reduce the fuel consumption of a large turbofan engine by ~15% and of a small engine by ~25%. An efficiency increase of up to 20% is also expected for land based GT. The pan-European team assembled offers the possibility of studying the most promising Pressure Gain Combustion, PGC solutions on an innovative integrated level. Current PGC solutions are of two types, the subsonic type, which is limited by low heat release rate but is practical and the detonative type, with very high heat release rate but currently impractical. PGC solutions are expected to be key technologies for the efficient use of carbon neutral fuels such as hydrogen. INSPIRE is aimed at studying both technologies, the Constant Volume Combustion, CVC and the Rotating Detonation Combustor, RDC. Around the two WP focusing on CVC and RDC, where institutions such as TUB, ENSMA, CERFACS, and SAFRAN will supervise the experimental and modelling activities of the involved ESR, two additional WP will aim at studying the main phenomena and technologies required to enable PGC solutions on actual engines. Topics as heat transfer, unsteady components interaction, noise generation and overall system performance will be faced by ESR supervised by UNIFI, UNIGE, KTH and TUB. The training of new researchers familiar with the concepts of PGC will ease the adoption of the technology in European industry. Since the developmental life cycle of GT is long, familiarizing a generation of new researchers with PGC will allow them to grow along with the technology.

The Systems ITD will develop and build highly integrated, high TRL demonstrators in major areas such as power management, cockpit, wing, landing gear, to address the needs of future generation aircraft in terms of maturation, demonstration and Innovation. Integrated Cockpit Environment for New Functions & Operations - D1: Extended Cockpit - D24: Enhanced vision and awareness - D25: Integrated Modular Communications Innovative Cabin and Cargo technologies - D2: Equipment and systems for Cabin & Cargo applications Innovative and Integrated Electrical Wing Architecture and Components - D3: Smart Integrated Wing Demonstrator - D4: Innovative Electrical Wing Demonstrator Innovative Technologies and Optimized Architecture for Landing Gears - D5: Advanced Landing Gears Systems - D6: Electrical Nose Landing Gear System - D7: Electrical Rotorcraft Landing Gear System - D17: Advanced Landing Gear Sensing & Monitoring System High Power Electrical Generation and Conversion Architecture - D8.1: Innovative Power Generation and Conversion for large A/C - D8.2: Innovative Power Generation and Conversion for small A/C Innovative Energy Management Systems Architectures - D9: Innovative Electrical and Control/Command Networks for distribution systems - D10: HVDC Electrical Power Network Demonstrator Innovative Technologies for Environmental Control System - D11: Next Generation EECS for Large A/C - D12: Next Generation EECS Demonstrator for Regional A/C - D13: Next Generation Cooling systems Demonstrators - D16: Thermal Management demonstration on AVANT test rig Ice protection demonstration - D14: Advanced Electro-thermal Wing Ice Protection Demonstrator - D15: Ice Detection System Small Air Transport (SAT) Innovative Systems Solutions - D18, D19, D21: More Electric Aircraft level 0 - D20: Low power de-ice for SAT - D22: Safe and Comfortable Cabin - D23: Affordable future avionic solution for small aircraft ECO Design T2: Production Lifecycle Optimisation Long-term Technologies T1: Power Electronics T3: Modelling and Simulation Tools for System Integration on Aircraft

Engines ITD will work towards radical engine architectures and new engine technologies to power the aircraft of the future. The objective is to increase fuel and energy efficiency of the engine and reduce environmental impact, regardless of whether the engine is powering a large airliner or just a small utility aircraft, meaning more thrust while burning less fuel and emitting less CO2, NOx and noise.

ORCHESTRA combines: · The leading University in Europe (UNOTT) on Aircraft electrification, · Europe’s leading Regional Aircraft Company (LDO VEL), · The world largest provider of aircraft Systems (SAF & SEP), · Leading experts on Thermal Management (CIRA&FhG) and Electrical Energy Storage Technologies (AIT), · Innovative businesses specialising in technologies for Aircraft Electrification (SKLE, BSIM &AER) · Leading experts with decades of experience in aircraft certification (VR-ASP) to deliver the “Technological Building Blocks” (TBB) that will form the foundation for the development of Much More Electric Aircraft (M2EA). The key quantitative objectives achieved by ORCHESTRA will include overall EPS weight reduction by 25% and improvement in EPS efficiency by 10% compared to the current state-of-the-art. The ORCHESTRA consortium will investigate all the relevant technical aspects including electrical architectures, machines, power management and control, harness solutions, thermal management, electric energy storage, experimental and virtual testing, as well as systems integration, to develop and deliver a holistic framework of innovative modular scalable “building blocks” that incorporate emerging technologies and breakthrough design ideas. Each partner within the Consortium has been carefully selected due to their world leading expertise in the technology areas indicated Figure 3. The involvement of VR-ASP, with decades of experience on aircraft certification, is noteworthy to ensure that TBBs delivered through ORCHESTRA will be designed with a clear path to certification from the outset. This will be complemented through the involvement of EASA on the Industrial Advisory Board.

Air transportation is expected to grow persistently over the next decades. Clean combustion technology for aircraft engines is a key enabler to reduce the impact of this growth on ecosystems and humans’ health. The vision for European aviation is shaped by the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe in the Flight Path 2050 goals, which define stringent regulations on pollutant emissions. To meet these goals, the major engine manufacturers develop lean premixed combustors operated at very high pressure. This development introduces a large risk for reduced reliability and lifetime of engines: pressure oscillations in the combustor called thermoacoustics. Much research has been dedicated to study this phenomenon over the last decades with mixed success. Industrial experience shows that the pressure oscillations often surface as late as the full engine has been built and tested. Traditional engineering methods fall short of predictability during the design of the engines due to a high sensitivity of thermoacoustics with respect to barely known input parameters. Aviation industry encounters currently the fourth industrial revolution: cyber-physical systems analyze and monitor technical systems and take automated decisions. This industrial revolution is known as “Industry 4.0” in Germany and “Industrial Internet” in the USA. An essential enabler of the fourth industrial revolution is Machine Learning. The ITN MAGISTER will utilize Machine Learning to predict and understand thermoacoustics in aircraft engine combustors, and lead combustion research a revolutionary new approach in this area. The participation of the major aircraft engine OEMs GE, Rolls Royce, Safran ensures industrial relevance and outreach of the results. The project will shape early career talents in a network of world leading scientists and industrial partners to work on one of the most severe design issues in aviation technology in the spirit of the fourth industrial revolution.