概念证明电动力推进无声的发动机驱动的飞机

Wow!

第一次飞行

100多年来，由于基于发动机的螺旋桨和涡轮机（主要由化石燃料提供动力），飞机已经飞走。在本周的问题中，史蒂文巴雷特和他的同事揭示了另一种选择：一架由近乎无声的发动机驱动的飞机，没有活动部件。固态推进系统使用电场来电离空气中的分子，然后与中性分子发生碰撞，从而产生产生推力的离子风。人们一直认为推力限制会阻止这种系统推进飞机，但研究人员证明，固态飞机的持续飞行并非如此。该飞机重2.45千克，翼展5米，带有电池组和电源转换器，功率约为500瓦。在试飞中，尽管整体效率较低，但该飞机的推力功率比与喷气发动机相当。这一概念证明为电动力推进提供了可能性，这可能导致更安静，低排放的飞机。显示较少

封面图片：Christina Y.他

Volume 563 Issue 7732, 22 November 2018

A first forflight

For more than 100 years, aeroplanes have taken flight thanks to engine-based propellers and turbines, mostly powered by fossil fuels. In this week’s issue, Steven Barrett and his colleagues reveal an alternative: a plane powered by a near-silent engine that has no moving parts. Solid-state propulsion systems use electric fields to ionize the molecules in the air, which then collide with neutral molecules, resulting in an ionic wind that generates thrust. It had been thought that thrust-to-power limitations would prevent such systems from propelling planes but the researchers demonstrate this is not so with the sustained flight of a solid-state aeroplane. Weighing 2.45 kilograms, the plane has a 5-metre wingspan and carries a battery stack and power converter that produces around 500 watts. In the test flights, the plane achieved a thrust-to-power ratio comparable to that of a jet engine, although the overall efficiency was lower. This proof of concept opens up possibilities for electroaerodynamic propulsion, which could lead to quieter, low-emissions aeroplanes. show less

Cover image: Christina Y. He