Reasons for research
The development of clean technologies is a huge challenge for the industry. This is especially evident within the automotive and aircraft industry, but also in the energy sector.
Throughout Europe, increased traffic in town and city centres has resulted in chronic congestion, with the many adverse consequences that this entails in terms of delays and pollution. Air and noise pollution is getting worse year by year. Urban traffic is responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions and 70% of emissions of other pollutants arising from road transport
There is a great pressure on the industry to develop energy efficient and silent products; industrial as well as consumer products. Within the aerospace industry, the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe(ACARE) has in its Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) defined challenging goals for the environment:
- To reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 50%
- To reduce perceived external noise by 50%
- To reduce NOx by 80%
- To make substantial progress in reducing the environmental impact of the manufacture, maintenance and disposal of aircraft and related products
The aim is to ensure more environmentally friendly air transport focussing on the greening and energy optimisation of aircraft operations, without compromising safety. Research work will address a wide range of innovative solutions and technologies for the aircraft, its systems and components for optimum use of energy and reduction of pollution (noise and emissions).
A similar initiative can be found in other areas of transport as for example the “Green Car Initiative.
Future aircrafts will be designed in even more lightweight materials with adaptive wing configurations and will most likely be powered by counter rotating propellers to save fuel. To keep the acoustic emissions at a low level, whilst having light but strong enough structures and efficient aerodynamic design indicate significant challenges. It will most certainly require development of new technology.
With wind power turbine manufacturers developing blades with ever increasing spanwidth, light and strong structures with low aerodynamically induced noise will be more and more important issues to adress. This too will most certainly require new and novel technologies to be developed.
These are a few examples of the kind of challenges we love at Creo Dynamics.