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Solving The Flying Thermos Problem By Steve Hall |
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May 1, 2012 - Last spring, GE broke ground on a $50
million aviation research center at the University of
Dayton in Ohio. When finished next year, the center’s
200 engineers, technologists, and researchers will work
on advanced electric power systems for next generation
of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as
“drones,” including classified UAVs as large as a
fighter jet.
GE Aviation, which is spending another $17 million to
upgrade other Dayton plants, is already a big player in
the UAV market. For example, GE’s power systems work
inside UAVs like the Global Hawk, and the X-45, and X-47
drone prototypes.
“These UAVs and are the next generation of fighter and
reconnaissance aircraft,” says Vic Bonneau, president of
the Electrical Power Systems unit at GE Aviation. “At
GE, we are being very aggressive at trying to invest in
the kinds of technologies that will solve large problems
for our customers 10 years from now.” |
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GE’s American-made high-tech electrical generators and power
distribution systems help keep the Global Hawk surveillance UAV
aloft for many hours and as high as 60,000 feet. Within the next
year, the Federal Aviation Administration will designate six
sites across the U.S. as future flight testing centers for UAVs.
GE’s new R&D center in Dayton will help Ohio bolster its bid.
One such problem is heat. The Global Hawk, for example, has
flown war reconnaissance missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Libya, but also after Haiti’s devastating earthquake. More than
half of the aircraft is built from lightweight, high-strength
composite materials. But the composites, which are made from
special resins, also make the inside of the UAV very hot. “They
are like flying thermos bottles because of the composites,”
Bonneau says.
Bonneau and his team solved the heat problem by building
electronic systems from materials like silicon carbide,
developed at GE Global Research, that can work at temperatures
twice as high as the boiling point for water. The new Dayton R&D
center will help Bonneau build sophisticated computer models
that can simulate conditions inside the UAV and test new
technologies. “We can try new things and try new ways to operate
to use less fuel and be more efficient,” Bonneau says.
The use of UAVs is growing rapidly in both military and
commercial aviation. Teal Group Corp. predicts that the $6.6
billion global UAV market will double over the next decade. Law
enforcement may soon fly drones in domestic airspace, but they
also find use in agriculture, traffic control, firefighting,
scientific research, and during humanitarian missions. |
During a keynote address on Monday at the Dayton Chamber of Commerce’s
annual meeting Lorraine Bolsinger, president and CEO of GE Aviation
Systems said “GE Aviation will continue to grow its Dayton presence in a
dramatic way.”
“GE plans to grow and attract talent to Dayton from around the world,”
said Lorraine Bolsinger. “We are investing $17 million in capital
improvements for our Dayton facilities and another $50 million in our
new Electrical Power Integrated Systems R & D center that will be
operational next year.”
The R & D center will position GE to pursue business for the next
generation of planes, many of which will be unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs). GE is a big player in this emerging market, providing electrical
power and distribution for such UAVs as the Global Hawk, a surveillance
plane used in Afghanistan. The use of UAVs is growing rapidly in both
military and commercial aviation. The Teal Group predicts the annual $6
billion spend in UAVs worldwide will nearly double in the next decade.
Within the next year, the Federal Aviation Administration will designate
six sites across the U.S. as future flight testing centers for UAVs.
Ohio is engaged in this important competition with at least 22 other
states. “This will be hotly contested and will have long-term
implications for Ohio,” commented Bolsinger. “We hope that GE’s presence
in Dayton will play a positive role in Ohio’s effort to become a future
hub for UAV test activity.”
Bolsinger continued, “This is an opportunity to establish an enduring
relationship between the FAA, Wright-Patterson, NASA and Ohio aerospace.
Let’s make sure Ohio is part of the next exciting chapter in aviation
history.” GE has a sizable footprint in Ohio with 22 locations and
15,000 employees across several divisions – including the Aviation
headquarters near Cincinnati – and the Lighting headquarters in
Cleveland. GE employs 2,600 workers in the Dayton area – including three
Aviation sites – and a large credit card operation in Kettering. |
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