National critical technologies report.

  • United States. Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Date:
1995
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: National critical technologies report. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    development of active compressor stability control and high strength-to-weight ratio materials—including metal matrix composites—proposed by the European Aero-Engine Industry Group parallel U.S. efforts. Japan's responsibility within the LAE consortium for the fan and low pressure compressor is its first major share of a commercial engine program. Although the fan was derived from an existing Rolls Royce design, it is worth noting that the V2500 passed every ingestion and fan-blade-off test the first time the engine was tested. Despite this improvement, problems experienced on other indigenous efforts suggest that Japan still has a substantial technology lag. Rolls Royce combustor technology is at parity with that of U.S. manufacturers; however, the company slightly lags in the application of turbine technology to commercial engines. Its latest civil engine offering—the Trent—still uses directionally solidified high-pressure turbine blades. While Rolls Royce and the UK Ministry of Defense are jointly funding high-pressure turbine design research, improvements resulting from this program will likely be offset by advances already achieved in a similar U.S. effort. Japan's responsibility for the low-pressure turbine on the GE90 program complements its role in the [AE consortium. Rolls Royce now uses full authority digital engine controls (FADECs) on all of its engines and France has demonstrated improvement through production of a FADEC for SNECMA's latest military engine and controls components for the CFM56 and CF6-80. Japan has an indigenously developed FADEC that has reportedly been successfully ground and flight tested. However, the system is intended for use on the FSX fighter and has yet to be validated in service. Spacecraft power systems Spacecraft power systems provide power for spacecraft mission, communications, and housekeeping functions. In the case of lunar or planetary missions that involve instrumented or human landings, surface power systems ~ must also be provided. Efficiency, power density, reliability, environmental risk, safety, shielding, etc. must all be considered in any power system. The following issues are important for space or surface power systems. e Power generation (the energy source) Possible options include solar (photovoltaic, thermoelectric, thermionic, or dynamic), batteries and fuel cells, nuclear (radioisotopes, fission, fusion), other (antimatter, winds, chemical) e Energy storage, with options such as batteries, fuel cells, flywheels, capacitors, and superconducting rings ¢ Power handling, including conditioning, control, packaging, enhancement, and conversion