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This lab, known as The Grid and operated by Collins Aerospace, a business unit of RTX, aims to pioneer the electrification of propulsion systems across various aircraft sizes. The initiative aligns with the broader industry goal of cutting carbon emissions.
Opened in October 2023, The Grid at Rockford provides extensive resources for testing from rectifiers to complete engines and their interoperability. Unlike other labs that are tailored for specific projects, The Grid's design allows for swift development and testing of multiple new technologies.
"The systems and the architectures that the lab represents are ones that haven't been flown before," said Tyler Hayes, Collins' discipline chief for propulsion electrification and hybrid systems. "So we hope to figure out what's possible for this new technology."
The Grid spans 25,000 square feet, offering unique advantages like full-system testing and the flexibility to simulate real-world configurations. Equipment in each corner of the lab, including up to eight dynamometers, facilitates comprehensive testing-from subsystem assembly to entire system simulation mimicking multiple aircraft engines.
Additionally, the lab's design includes a private substation for a stable power supply and a new solar array to provide renewable energy. An innovative load bank at The Grid also contributes excess electricity back to the local grid instead of wasting it.
The lab also features capabilities for emulating up to 4 megawatts of battery storage, which are essential for testing future battery systems on aircraft. "We're setting the bar for what a lab testing electrified powertrains should be. There's really nowhere else you can do this easily right now," Hayes explained. "The Grid is a critical piece to the whole puzzle of trying to put these systems together and test them in a way that makes it look and feel like the aircraft."
Looking forward, The Grid is engaged in several new projects, including SWITCH, a program led by the European Union's Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking. This initiative aims to develop hybrid electric and water-injected turbofan technologies that could significantly reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions in aviation.
"What SWITCH does," Hayes continued, "is take a single-aisle-size aircraft and says, 'How can we make the engine more efficient and better integrate things into the aircraft to provide fuel-burn savings through a hybrid engine that's more like something you would have in a hybrid car?'"
This collaborative effort will see Pratt and Whitney supplying a hybrid-electric-ready GTF engine, while Collins provides critical components such as megawatt-class electric machines, high-voltage DC distribution, and thermal management systems.
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