EPSRC - Cryogenic Fuel Pump Motors for Aerospace

About the Project

The project is an exciting opportunity to undertake industrially linked research in partnership with Rolls-Royce (RR) at the RR University Technology Centre (UTC) in Electrical Systems at the University of Manchester. The UTC researches a wide range of underpinning electrical technologies for applications in future gas-turbine engines, and on-board power systems for aircraft and ships.

Project details: The aviation sector is undergoing a once-in-a-generation transformation towards cleaner, more sustainable flight. Cryogenically cooled electrical machines are of significant interest for the future of air transportation as they potentially offer significant power density and efficiency benefits for cryo-fuelled aircraft. This PhD combines industrial and academic expertise to help to develop next-generation electrical machines and actuation systems operating at cryogenic temperatures.

Maturing electrical actuation for liquid cryo-fuel pump technologies requires detailed electrical, electromagnetic and microstructural characterisation of constituent electric pump materials (electric steels, magnets, insulation materials etc) under cryogenic operating conditions. Key objectives are to provide the reliable material properties data to hence facilitate a more reliable and application-ready cryo-fuel pump design. The material characterisation research will be carried out using EBSD and TEM to investigate phase stability, grain structure, and potential cryogenic-induced microstructural evolution, while Tensile testing will be performed to evaluate the mechanical behaviour of the materials at low temperatures. These will be used to design a prototype aerospace cryo-fuel pump motor in collaboration with Rolls-Royce.