Researchers at the University of Surrey are paving the way for electric-powered air travel with a new miniature electric engine with the thrust of a Spitfire

The Surrey team was commissioned to help make a super powerful yet tiny electric engine to attach to a model wing. The whole set-up needed to be scaled for aircraft models that fit inside the five-metre wind tunnel at UK research facility QinetiQ, where rigorous tests would check the Boeing designs worked under the effects of a powered engine.

'For the tests to simulate reality at a reduced scale, we needed to create an engine the size of a desk fan with as much thrust as a Spitfire,' says Dr David Birch, Senior Lecturer in Aerodynamic Engineering, who led the Surrey team. 'It's not safe to put a gas turbine in a wind tunnel, but that's how much power we needed to generate.'

Fossil-fuelled flight contributes to climate change, yet there is an ongoing need for travel and connection. As a result, identifying a cleaner way to fly is a global priority. Although the University of Surrey team didn't set out to contribute to this specifically, the engine they created could be one of the answers needed.

'Now we've designed the engine, it's up to scientists and engineers with different specialisms to improve electricity storage,' says Dr Birch. 'It takes a lot of energy to power an engine like this, so I'm looking to colleagues working on batteries for the next step.'

Find out more about the University of Surrey's Centre for Aerodynamics and Environmental Flow.

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