Until the end of this year, Russian enterprises will assemble a demonstrator (prototype) of a hybrid power plant (HPU), according to the Rostec website.

At present, the production of storage batteries, electric machines, gas turbine drive, power electronics and HSU control units has begun.

The lead developer of the aviation hybrid is JSC UEC-Klimov (St. Petersburg).

The enterprise is part of United Engine Corporation JSC (UEC, part of Rostec).

“The stage of development of design documentation for the 150 kW HPU demonstrator has been fully completed, the structure of cooperation has been formed, the enterprises have started manufacturing elements and components.

By the end of this year, the demonstrator must be assembled and tested, ”the press service of Rostec quotes the general designer of JSC UEC-Klimov Vsevolod Eliseev.

After assembling the HSU prototype, tests will begin to confirm the characteristics and the correctness of the technical solutions adopted, Rostec clarifies.

In an interview with RT, Vladimir Popov, deputy editor-in-chief of the Aviapanorama magazine, explained that the GSU is a power unit that combines the use of electric traction and the energy of a traditional engine.

As a rule, electric motors provide cruising flight, and the internal combustion unit - takeoff and landing, the expert explained.

“The creation of aviation hybrids is a global trend.

This is the most suitable power unit in terms of environmental friendliness.

In addition, electric propulsion in aviation, in principle, has a very large and untapped potential,” Popov noted.

According to the developer, hybridization allows "effectively managing energy flows and choosing the most optimal modes of operation of its sources" compared to traditional power plants.

It should be noted that work on the introduction of electric propulsion technologies in the aviation industry is supported in Russia at the state level.

Energy efficiency and economy

The HSU model was presented by the developer at the HeliRussia-2022 International Exhibition of the Helicopter Industry, which takes place in Krasnogorsk near Moscow at the Crocus Expo IEC.

The hybrid demonstrated to the general public includes electric motors, power electronics units, an electric generator, a storage battery (ACB), a gas turbine engine (GTE) and propellers.

“The propellers of the aircraft (propellers) are driven by electric motors, which can be powered both separately from the generator or battery, and due to their total energy.

The generator also provides the possibility of recharging the battery, ”the presentation materials of the UEC say.

The power of the HPU in takeoff mode is 500 kW, the specific energy consumption is 200 watt-hours/kg, the rated power of the electric motor is 125 kW, the specific fuel consumption in the optimal mode of operation of the gas turbine unit is no more than 0.347 kg/kW-hour.

The GSU can be installed on a large number of carriers.

The corporation's website says that the "potential objects of application" of the new power unit are light multi-purpose helicopters, advanced UAVs, aircraft with a take-off weight of 2-8 tons, local airliners, business aviation, vertical takeoff and landing air complexes.

In the materials of the UEC presented at HeliRussia-2022, it is specified that the HCS can also be installed on aircraft of the “cyclofly type”.

We are talking about air carriers capable of taking off and landing vertically, including on inclined surfaces.

Russia has already created a cyclo-drone weighing 60 kg.

It is assumed that this UAV will be in demand during landing operations.

Another cycloplane within the framework of the Cyclocar project is currently being created by the Kutateladze Institute of Thermal Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences together with the Advanced Research Foundation (FPI).

The scientists of this institute plan to create a flying car.

The mass of such an air vehicle will be approximately 2 tons, the maximum payload will be 600 kg, the speed will be up to 250 km/h, and the flight range will be up to 500 km.

According to the “Klimovtsy”, great prospects are opening up for the GSU in the field of naval aviation.

Thanks to hybrid-powered aircraft, it is possible to transport cargo, carry out rescue operations and refuel aircraft in the air.

“To perform these functions, high fuel efficiency, increased power-to-weight ratio of aircraft and flight safety, and the ability to quickly boost power are essential.

All these advantages can be provided by the use of GSU, ”the press service of the corporation quotes the words of the executive director of JSC UEC-Klimov, Alexander Vatagin.

In addition, according to the UEC, the hybrid power plant can be used as an engine for high-speed small-sized ships for various purposes, and in the future, thanks to the accumulated scientific and technical reserve, it will be possible to equip larger ships with it.

  • Model of the GSU at the international forum "Army-2021"

  • © UEC

At the moment, the advantages of their product "Klimovtsy" include an increase in flight range, a reduction in emissions of harmful substances, an increased service life of a gas turbine engine, a reduction in fuel consumption by 15-20% and the provision of increased electrification of the carrier.

Along with this, due to the absence of a rigid connection between the elements of the HCS, it allows the optimal distribution of “masses along the fuselage” and opens up the possibility for creating new aircraft designs.

In particular, the UEC is confident that the hybrid will help develop air platforms with ultra-short takeoff and landing.

Unified energy center

As a drive in the GSU, a promising VK-650V unit is used, which is being created for the Ansat, Ansat-U, Ka-226T and VRT500 helicopters.

So far, these helicopters are equipped with imported engines.

“The VK-650V gas turbine engine will drive the generator.

Together they form a single energy hub, that is, the main reservoir of energy.

An additional source of energy is put in the form of batteries.

The power electronics unit will be responsible for the interaction of these elements, ”Mikhail Shemet, deputy director of the UEC-Klimov advanced engine program, explained to reporters earlier. 

A feature of the VK-650V is the implementation of a scheme with a single-stage centrifugal compressor, a compressor turbine and a free turbine.

It is assumed that this approach will provide improved specific power parameters. 

“The advantages of the VK-650V include modular design, high engine life, digital automatic control system of the FADEC type.

The unified engine can be used on various types of multi-purpose helicopters, both in twin-engine and single-engine modifications, ”the UEC materials say.

To date, flight tests of the VK-650V have not yet been carried out.

According to the UEC, docking schedules of experimental design work (R&D) for the engine itself and the helicopter carrier are currently at the final stage of registration.

“As part of further work on the engine, it is planned to use modern “digital twin” technology.

With its help, high-performance computing, development of a control system, simulation of full-scale tests, optimization of the process of automation of data exchange and their processing will be carried out, ”the press service of the UEC clarifies.

  • Promising engine VK-650V

  • © UEC

As Vladimir Artyakov, First Deputy General Director of Rostec, told reporters on May 19, bench tests of prototypes of a unified engine will be carried out in the near future.

Serial production of the VK-650V should begin in 2024.

Earlier, in a RT commentary, Karen Malev, deputy chief designer of UEC-Klimov JSC, said that a line of aircraft engines with a take-off power of 500 to 700 hp could be created on the basis of the VK-650V.

with.

One of the modifications will be applied in the GSU.

In 2023, a version of a 500 kW gas turbine engine should be manufactured for a hybrid power plant.

In an interview with RT, the editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal, Roman Gusarov, noted that the VK-650V is a completely new development that will be in great demand both in the helicopter industry and for the further development of the GSU program.

“The VK-650V will save Russia from critical dependence in certain aviation segments on foreign engines.

In addition, VK-650V, of course, is an extremely important element of the GSU.

It is on him that the efficiency of the hybrid largely depends: it must rotate the generator, which will generate electricity that charges the batteries, ”explained Gusarov.

The expert is confident that the future of all aviation lies with engines that use electrical energy.

“Currently, the most promising direction is HSU, where traditional and electric motors help each other.

The most difficult thing, in my opinion, is to create a control system for a hybrid that would take into account the peculiarities of the operation of electric motors, would ensure the flight in the required parameters and without failures.

However, for Russian developers today there are no unsolvable problems,” Gusarov is sure.