24/7 Space News
AEROSPACE
Whisper Aero Partners with ORNL's Summit Supercomputer to Advance Quiet Electric Aircraft Development
Whisper Head of Flight Sciences Vineet Ahuja, left, and Whisper Co-founder and CEO Mark Moore, right, are standing in front of the Whisper Jet cabin prototype.
Whisper Aero Partners with ORNL's Summit Supercomputer to Advance Quiet Electric Aircraft Development
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 13, 2024

In the small town of Crossville, Tennessee, Whisper Aero, a promising start-up, is pioneering the future of quiet, electric aviation. From a renovated industrial space, the company's engineers are working on a new electric aircraft engine that could revolutionize air travel.

Established in their new headquarters in early 2024, Whisper Aero has transformed a former printing facility into a cutting-edge aerospace technology hub. This facility includes areas dedicated to research, development, prototyping, and manufacturing. At the core of their innovation is an advanced electric ducted fan (EDF) designed to replace traditional aircraft engines. Whisper Aero's patented EDF technology, featuring high blade-count fans that operate in the ultrasonic range, promises to be 100 times quieter and 20% more efficient than existing alternatives.

Whisper Aero is in the process of developing the Whisper Jet, a nine-passenger electric airplane that integrates 20 to 30 small EDFs along the leading edge of its wings. This design, known as distributed electric propulsion (DEP), aims to produce a cleaner, quieter aircraft with zero emissions. Simulations on the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have been crucial in refining this innovative design. The company estimates that if electric planes were used for all U.S. domestic flights under 1,000 miles, aviation-related greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 40%.

Whisper Aero's CEO, Mark Moore, who spent 32 years as a NASA engineer, envisions a future where regional airlines operate quieter, more affordable flights using DEP aircraft. "The fundamental premise of Whisper Aero is that we are changing the objective function of the aircraft design from minimizing gross weight to minimizing the acoustic impact," said Moore.

To push the boundaries of their design, Whisper Aero turned to the Summit supercomputer, operated by the Department of Energy at ORNL. The computational power provided by Summit allowed the company to perform advanced simulations at speeds ten times faster than what their in-house systems could achieve. Vineet Ahuja, Whisper Aero's head of flight sciences, highlighted the impact of Summit on their work: "Using Summit affords us the possibility of expanding the scope of Whisper's design and analysis activities that benefit aircraft control and aeropropulsive integration."

The engineering team at Whisper Aero utilized Summit to conduct computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, which are essential for optimizing aerodynamic performance. With Summit's capabilities, the team could run complex simulations in mere hours, a process that would typically take a week on commercial systems. This rapid iteration allowed them to build and test a quarter-scale drone prototype, validating their designs with exceptional accuracy.

Whisper Aero's innovations extend beyond aviation. The company is also applying its EDF technology to create the quietest leaf blower on the market, along with exploring other industrial applications. Moore believes that their technology has the potential to transform various industries, from warehouse operations to environmental clean-up.

Reflecting on the progress enabled by Summit, Moore expressed his excitement: "What I'm really excited about is the speed of execution that Whisper has been able to achieve, thanks to Summit. We're already taking this technology and designing for commercial aircraft. Being able to move this technology more rapidly to the general public is really an exciting value proposition."

As Whisper Aero continues its research and development with the help of Summit, the company is well-positioned to bring its groundbreaking technologies to market. The future of quieter, more efficient electric flight is on the horizon, thanks in part to the computational power provided by ORNL's Summit supercomputer.

Related Links
Whisper Aero
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AEROSPACE
AFWERX, MTSI evaluate electric VTOL aircraft for military applications
Springfield PH (SPX) Aug 12, 2024
As the sun rose over Springfield-Beckley Airport, Ohio, a quiet hum from an unusual aircraft signaled the start of another day of flight testing. Since mid-June, experts from AFWERX, the Department of the Air Force's innovation arm within the Air Force Research Laboratory, have been working with Beavercreek, Ohio-based defense contractor Modern Technology Solutions Inc., or MTSI, to evaluate Pivotal's BlackFly electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft, along with other electric ... read more

AEROSPACE
Meet the two Boeing mission astronauts stuck aboard the ISS

LeoLabs Secures $20M in New Contracts in H1 2024

ISS Crew Conducts Historic Archaeological Survey in Space

Cygnus resupply spacecraft reaches ISS with four tons of supplies, experiments

AEROSPACE
NASA to decide stranded Starliner astronauts' route home by end of month

NASA to make decision on Starliner astronauts by end of month

One SpaceX launch scrubbed, another still a go

Rocket Lab Executes 52nd Electron Mission for Capella Space

AEROSPACE
Scientists lay out revolutionary method to warm Mars

Here's How Curiosity's Sky Crane Changed the Way NASA Explores Mars

Mars Express Reveals Ancient Lake Eridania on Mars

NASA Trains Machine Learning Algorithm for Mars Sample Analysis

AEROSPACE
Shenzhou-18 Crew Tests Fire Alarms and Conducts Medical Procedures in Space

Astronauts on Tiangong Space Station Complete Fire Safety Drill

Shenzhou XVIII Crew Conducts Emergency Drill on Tiangong Space Station

Beijing Unveils 'Rocket Street' to Boost Commercial Space Sector

AEROSPACE
Non-Geostationary Constellations Set to Dominate High Throughput Satellites Market

New Coordination System Allows Satellite Internet and Radio Astronomy to Share the Sky

EQT in Exclusive Talks to Acquire Majority Stake in Eutelsat's Satellite Ground Station Business

AST SpaceMobile Prepares for September Launch with Arrival of First Commercial Satellites at Cape Canaveral

AEROSPACE
Cleveland-Made Automated Tech Embarks on Space Mission

AFRL Collaborative Automation For Manufacturing Systems Laboratory opens

UCLA Engineers Develop Shape-Shifting Metamaterial Inspired by Classic Toys

ICEYE Expands SAR Constellation with Four New Satellites

AEROSPACE
UK Space Agency Backs Missions to Study Stellar Influence on Habitable Worlds

Intense Stellar Flares from Red Dwarfs Pose Risks to Exoplanet Habitability

AI Competition Targets Exoplanet Atmospheres

Study Highlights Potential Dangers to Habitable Planets Around Red Dwarfs

AEROSPACE
Ariel's Carbon Dioxide Indicates Potential Subsurface Ocean on Uranus' Moon

Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter

A new insight into Jupiter's shrinking Great Red Spot

Queen's University Belfast Researchers Investigate Mysterious Brightening of Chiron

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.