Lappeenranta airport is being developed into a research airport that will provide a platform for research on future aviation. The effort involves LUT University, the university's Electric Mobility Research Centre EMRC and Lappeenranta airport.
“In addition to electric aviation, the airport can also be used to research other propulsion systems. At present, electricity is considered the leading candidate among future propulsion technologies for aviation and is therefore the most interesting. The high efficiency of electric motors also makes them cost-effective, which further increases their appeal,” says Ville Naumanen, research director at the EMRC.
The location of Lappeenranta is ideal for a research airport
In other Nordic countries, significant investments have been made to establish aviation testing opportunities. Especially Norway has been a pioneer in the field. However, Lappeenranta's location offers unique possibilities for research. The airport is located close to electricity production plants, power lines and a large battery energy storage facility in Ylikkälä.
“Lappeenranta is situated close to the eastern border, which means air traffic in the region is exposed to GNSS interference. That makes the city an ideal place to study flight operations when signals are disrupted. The research airport will also enable studying short-haul and networked flying, given Lappeenranta’s proximity to other Finnish airports and destinations such as Tallinn,” Naumanen says.
LUT researches the development of aviation, particularly in the fields of energy, electrical engineering, and business. Research on Power-to-X technology is also closely connected to the future of aviation.
Currently, EMRC is looking for an expert project manager and partners for the initiative.
“We want to be open, cooperate with various operators in the industry, and thus develop services and research opportunities that support and complement the current aviation ecosystem.”
The Lappeenranta research airport
- The purpose of the Lappeenranta research airport is to develop and test the technology required for low-emission aviation.
- Research topics include electric aircrafts and their charging equipment.
- The safety of aviation and the infrastructure, ecosystem and new business models supporting it, will also be studied at the research airport.
- The effort is led by Kempower Electric Mobility Research Centre (EMRC).
A charger developed in Finland has already been used to charge an electric aircraft in Norway
Aviation is currently being researched and developed actively due to the ongoing energy transition. Emissions from flying must be reduced. However, the transition in aviation is in its infancy compared to road traffic, for instance.
“Introducing a new technology and products into aviation is always a demanding and slow process, because the safety requirements are so strict.”
The first electric passenger aircraft is expected to enter service between 2028 and 2030. Airplanes require a great amount of energy, which limits the possibilities of electric aviation. However, there has already been progress. According to Naumanen, an electric aircraft charged with a charger developed by LUT's strategic partner Kempower flew a short distance from one city to another in Norway at the beginning of August.
An airplane battery should be fully charged in half an hour
Among other factors, battery technology presents several challenges for electric aviation. The batteries are heavy, and their capacity is limited. Over a distance of about 1,000 kilometres, transporting just the batteries takes the whole flight capacity of an electric aircraft. In other words, the capacity of the aircraft must be increased, the performance of the batteries improved, and the weight reduced, so that the aircraft can also carry goods and people.
Charging technology also needs to be developed, as chargers that are sufficiently efficient and suitable for the security environment of airports do not yet exist.
“The charging power of an airplane charger should be 2–3 megawatts. By comparison, chargers for passenger cars have a power of 150–250 kilowatts, and a 1-megawatt charger has just been introduced for trucks. In other words, the power should be doubled or even tripled. In addition, due to the short turnaround times in aviation, it should be possible to complete the charging in as little amount of time as half an hour.”
In the future, electric flights will be limited to short distances
In the future, electric aviation is expected to serve as a solution especially for short-haul air traffic, covering distances of a few hundred kilometres.
“With the current technology, the distance between Helsinki and Rovaniemi is too long for an electric aircraft, but the distances between Lappeenranta and Helsinki or Mikkeli and Helsinki are not. In continental Europe, there are quite a lot of short-haul flights.”
The energy efficiency of electricity is up to 85%.
Compared to flying with kerosene and internal combustion engine technology, electric aviation is significantly more energy efficient. When burned with a gas turbine, the energy efficiency of aviation kerosene is about 35%, while the energy efficiency of electricity is goes up to 85%.
“This also makes electric aviation cost-effective because the price of renewable electricity has decreased as its production has increased,” Naumanen says.
Future aviation will rely on multiple propulsion systems
In addition to electric aircraft, aircraft powered by synthetic (P2X) fuels and hydrogen may take to the skies in the future. The potential of bio-based fuels in aviation is also being studied.
Hydrogen-powered flight is the most distant technology in the future. Airbus, a major aircraft manufacturer, had already announced that it would launch its first hydrogen aircraft in 2035, but the target year has since been postponed due to slow technological development.
“In order for all flying to become emission-free in the future, something revolutionary must happen in energy technology. I believe that in the future, multiple different energy sources will be used in aviation, depending on where and how far you are flying,” Naumanen says.
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