Honeywell Aerospace says it has completed the first round of testing of the one-MW turbogenerator it is developing to power hybrid-electric aircraft. The propulsion system, which the U.S. group announced in March 2021, combines a one-megawatt generator with the company’s existing HGT 1700 auxiliary power unit to provide two and a half times more power than a prototype unveiled in 2019.
During the latest ground tests, the turbogenerator operated at power levels of 1.02 MVA, which is around the one-MW level. Honeywell reported on June 1 that the demonstration ran continuously at 900 kW, which it says demonstrated a high power density of around eight kw/kg and an efficiency rate of about 97 percent. According to Honeywell, this compares with currently available generators that have an efficiency rating of between 88 and 90 percent and a power density of around two to three kW/kg.
