Interview: ATI's Mark Scully on innovations in aviation propulsion

Mark Scully, head of technology, advanced systems & propulsion at the Aerospace Technology Institute about the innovations that will propel the aviation sector towards net zero.  

The ATI’s focus on sustainability covers air vehicles, flight operations, manufacturing, ground operations, through-life support, and low-carbon-impact power sources.  Specifically, for propulsion we need to look at alternative energy/power sources to achieve the transition to net zero.

It is not a case of ‘one size fits all’. Technologies we are supporting include batteries for short range all-electric aircraft; liquid and gaseous hydrogen for short- and regional-range fuel cell-hybrid, gas turbine-hybrid or gas turbine powered aircraft; and drop-in sustainable alternative fuels derived from biomass-to-liquid or power-to-liquid approaches.

The priorities for future propulsion and power systems are to increase propulsive and energy efficiency, reduce emissions and reduce operational cost. That could come from configurations that include all-electric, series and parallel hybrid, geared turbofans (with options for variable pitch fans and/or hybridisation), and in the longer term the introduction of superconducting electric fan propulsors. It’s important we keep stimulating innovation across a range of configurations.