SREEV - SPARCS Rotary Engine for Electric VTOLs

Remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) are becoming increasingly popular in the provision of a range of civilian services such as: land surveying, building inspection, crop-spraying, and search & rescue. In particular, multi-rotor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) RPAS are well suited to this growing emerging market. Amongst other things, the ease-of-control afforded by VTOL RPAS over other platforms makes them ideal for civilian applications. Despite their advantages, VTOL RPAS platforms are currently significantly hindered by limited range/endurance (<1hour), well below the 4 hours endurance that is typically required in order to deliver "productive added-value”. Internal combustion engines (ICEs) cannot provide the control precision to the rotors, nor independent drive without complex drivetrain mechanisms. Therefore, in order to bridge this endurance gap, the SREEV project will develop a range extender solution that is capable of boosting VTOL RPAS battery life and deliver close to 240mins continuous flight-time. The SREEV project will be delivered by a research focused consortium consisting of four leading cross disciplinary SMEs based in the UK.