Introducing our cabin pressurization system
Sido Kermans - Vice President Product Development
As a tier 2 company, we have a lot of experience acting as a liaison within the aerospace industry. We know our way between system integrators and suppliers, for example. And just as well we know how to be of value to the Clean Sky 2 project, together with Leonardo Helicopters and the NLR. At present, we‘re working together on the Leonardo Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor (NGCTR) and one huge achievement as a result of this project was the introduction of our innovative cabin pressurization system.
As VP Product Development at Aeronamic, Sido Kermans is in close contact with our project partners. At the same time, he keeps a keen eye on exciting developments for ‘the more electric aircraft’. In this blog, he talks about Clean Sky 2 as a whole and what makes our cabin pressurization system (CPS) so special.
A cleaner sky
Sido Kermans: “Clean Sky 2 is part of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program. It was launched in 2014 and, as its name suggests, the program is pushing for quieter, more environmentally friendly aircraft. It also offers global leadership in European aeronautics, with over 600 organizations and institutions working collaboratively to pool expertise and resources. Since the inception of Clean Sky 2, Aeronamic has been involved in several of its activities. The specific NGCTR project we are working on in partnership with Leonardo Helicopters and the NLR is funded by the European Commission in Brussels.”
Thinking outside the box
“The NGCTR is designed for the vertical take-off and landing of compact aircraft like business jets. These can fly up to 24,000 feet, but at this altitude the thinness of the air demands increased pressure within the hull. It all adds up to a need for a compressor which can handle a certain pressure level while being compact in size. In 2018, Aeronamic was given the contract to create a complete CPS that could meet all the needs of the NGCTR. We began in March 2019 and finished the design review by the end of 2020, working together with Leonardo Helicopters and the NLR. It was very exciting to make such progress so quickly, although this was partly due to our being familiar with the technology already – we’ve been growing in expertise in this area since 2005. At the time of writing, Leonardo Helicopters has greenlit production and our excitement goes beyond our expeditious journey so far. This CPS marks Aeronamic’s first time in developing a complete system, rather than just individual components. By going from subsystems to complete systems, we as a builder get to be of more value to our system integrators. It shows what we are capable of and to which potential it reaches.”
Muscle and brain
“The CPS we will soon be introducing is a long, narrow object weighing about 30 kilos or 66 pounds. The compact exterior dimensions are impressive, but it is the inside which will truly blow people’s minds. It contains highly sophisticated electronics, and we continually surprise our customers with the tremendous expertise we have in this field. Inside our CPS, you will find a computer the size of an A4 piece of paper. This small, 7 kg (15.4 lb) ‘little grey box’ is quite frankly a piece of technical ingenuity like you’ve never seen before. In combination with its amazing pressurization capabilities (11 kW, 100,000 RPM), we can honestly say that our CPS has both muscle and brain. And since our CPS can link with health and utilization management systems, it’s extremely valuable and suitable for electric aircraft.”
At Aeronamic, we are delighted to have contributed to a greener way of aviation by combining all our knowledge and expertise in the development of an important system that can really make a difference for the electric aircraft. Are you interested in getting an up-close preview of our CPS?