Silent Airplane - Highly Energy Efficient Design
SAX-40 Energy Efficient Airplane
Overview:
A team of engineers from Cambridge and MIT have developed a sophisticated new airplane design. They predict:
125 passenger-miles per gallon of fuel (compared with about 100 for the best current aircraft design, the Boeing 787). This is equivalent to the Toyota Prius Hybrid car carrying two passengers at 550 miles per hour.
A noise output of 63 dBA outside airport perimeter. This is some 25dB quieter than current aircraft.
Is a more energy efficient and quieter aircraft in your future? Sustainable flying is closer to reality due to research at Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The two schools, with support from Boeing and Rolls Royce, have unveiled a revolutionary concept for a “silent” aircraft. Originally conceived to reduce noise near airports, this highly efficient design also offers improvements of around 25% in the fuel consumption. (Note this design looks a lot like Boeing’s Blended Wing Body Aircraft)
The design is intended for the generation after next of aircraft for entry into service in 2030. The design looked at improving the airframe as well as the engines as half of the noise from a landing plane comes from the airframe. Some of the key design features employed are:
- the overall shape of the aircraft which is a single flying wing - this allows the body to provide lift as well as the wings allowing a slower approach which reduces noise and the shape improves fuel efficiency in cruise
- flaps and slats have been eliminated - these are a major source of airframe noise when a plane is landing
- the undercarriage has been simplified and its aerodynamics improved
- the engines are mounted on the top of the aircraft which screens much of the noise from the ground
- novel ultra-high bypass engines, which have variable size jet nozzles to allow slower jet propulsion during takeoff and climb for low noise, and be optimized for maximum efficiency during cruise which requires higher jet speeds.
The drawbacks I see are: Seating - I don’t know how people will take to not being able to see out of the windows of the plane. You may be seated 24 across with no window seats. Carbon - Even with the improved performance the airplane will still burn kerosene unless there is a commensurate advance in the use of biofuels for high altitude flight.
More at: Silent Aircraft
September 5th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
how will it change direction if there is no flaps? how would it go up? is it faster than the aurora?
October 29th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
@eljun Good point. It looks like the type of idea that’s good in theory but not practical in reality, not just design-wise but also financially and releasing it to the consumers to travel on etc. I wouldn’y mind an aviation job flying one of them though! I can imagine it would be more fun than being a passenger, especially with the lack of window seats
October 31st, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Flying the plane is always more fun than being a passenger. (I’m a pilot) What is cool about airplanes is that there are a few private experimental models that go about 150 mph at better than 50 mpg. There is now a competition to get a 100 mpg airplane that travels at high speeds.