GNOSIS

The decarbonization of the aviation sector represents an important measure for achieving climate targets. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is therefore funding research projects for the development and evaluation of (partially) electric propulsion configurations for passenger aircraft within the aviation research program LuFo VI-1.

The research project GNOSIS – Holistic Evaluation of Electric Flying pursues the overarching goal of ensuring an environmentally compatible air transport system for the future. By conducting a holistic analysis of the potential of electric flight, the project aims to evaluate selected technology combinations at aircraft vehicle and air transport system level. The holistic assessment includes results in the spatial dimension (vehicle, airport, airspace, material and energy provision, etc.) and temporal dimension (life cycle analysis) as well as legal aspects (certifiability, air law).

The project, which began in July 2020, is being conducted under the leadership of RWTH Aachen University within a Germany-wide collaborative project of eight universities over a period of three years. Susanne Hanesch, M.Sc., is in charge of the project at the Materials Flow Management and Resource Management group. The technical modeling and simulation of (partially) electrified aircraft configurations is to be integrated into a life cycle analysis, so that a holistic investigation of the ecological effects of the innovative flight concepts is possible.

The project is divided into Phase A, in which a 19-seat passenger aircraft will be modeled, and Phase B, in which scaling to a 9- and 50-seat aircraft with different ranges will be performed. The final aircraft assessment will be conducted for each of the two assessment horizons in 2025 and 2050. This will allow both the effects achievable in the near future and the effects achievable in the longer term to be examined in order to derive recommendations for future research and development priorities.