AIMday Aerospace Sustainability

Bombardier

#6036: How can we study and develop best practices for persistent contrails?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is suggesting that besides carbon emitted by aircraft, condensation trails (“contrails”) produced by the exhaust from aircraft engines have an impact on climate change by creating an often invisible thermal blanket of cloud across the planet. Bombardier would like to study persistent aviation contrails and address the following topics:

 – To get out ahead of an issue that is clearly not going away.

 – Differentiate ourselves from our direct competitors by addressing this non-GHG-related item.

 – Create flight guidance.

 – Put Canada on the map for research on a climate impact that does not involve GHG emissions.

BP plc

#6298: What impact are SAFs likely to have on biodiversity due to increased demand for land to grow these crops, etc., and how might we be able to track that?

#6301: How can aerospace engineers harness bio-inspired digital technologies to develop aircraft that are capable of efficiently capturing water from the atmosphere, and what design considerations and challenges must be addressed to implement such water harvesting systems for sustainable use?

#6304: High power charging and short turnaround times are key enablers to the success of eVTOL operations. What would the future energy ecosystem look like at a vertiport, and what technologies (battery buffers, microgrids, demand/weather forecasting, automated charging) need to be developed to enable energizing vertiport networks?

#6307: The cheapest type of energy is renewable, but it is intermittent. There has been an exponential trend in fibre lasers where the cost per watt is decreasing, making it feasible to build GW photon engines. How can photon technology, specifically laser-based solar power systems, be harnessed to propel and sustain aircraft?

#6310: What will a future regional aircraft in the 2030s look like? Will its shape change radically from the tube and wing design to novel designs like double bubble, blended wing, etc.? Would the fuel source shift from jet fuel or SAF to other sources such as hybrid, direct hydrogen combustion, hydrogen fuel cell, or battery electric?

C-SAF

#6227: What are the best policy options to support SAF production and use in Canada that provide an affordable way for the Canadian aviation/aerospace sector to decarbonize?

Canada has all the ingredients from start to finish to build a world-leading sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) supply market.

1) Canadian passengers can fly easily out of US airports; airlines can choose to move connectivity to cheaper airports.

2) 70% of aviation activity in Canada is international passengers.

3) SAF competes against renewable diesel and has an opportunity cost.

Certification Center Canada

#6230: How can we implement changes to established maintenance and repair protocols in a Transport Canada-approved Aircraft Maintenance Organization (AMO) for hybrid electric planes?

Currently, maintenance teams are set up to service traditional fuel-powered planes. We are currently looking to examine what protocols (especially handling and safety), inspection and certification need to be revised to take into account high-powered batteries and electric motors. What requirements need to be taken into account for battery replacement, charging and degradation? Additionally, how will motor maintenance protocols change for electric motors?

De Havilland Canada Aircraft

#6233: What is the total lifecycle environmental impact of the green propulsion technologies currently pursued by the aviation industry, including batteries & hydrogen?

European Space Agency

#6092: Could beaming energy from space to Earth help make aerospace sustainable?

To prepare Europe for future decision-making on Space-Based Solar Power, the ESA has kicked off a preparatory initiative called SOLARIS, for which funding was approved at the ESA Council at the Ministerial Level in November 2022.

The goal of SOLARIS is to prepare the ground for a possible decision in 2025 on a full development programme by establishing the technical, political and programmatic viability of Space-Based Solar Power for terrestrial clean energy needs.

It would, through a limited initial investment, undertake studies and technology developments, in partnership with European industry, to mature the technical feasibility and assess the benefits, implementation options, commercial opportunities and risks of Space-Based Solar Power as a contributor to terrestrial energy decarbonization. SOLARIS will also address potential environmental, health and safety issues and challenges related to regulation and international space policy coordination.

Hebe Network

# 6251: What are the current barriers to bringing green hydrogen to airports?

Can we begin the transition to sustainable aviation by unlocking promising green hydrogen use cases that focus on smaller-scale on-site electrolysis, micro solar and wind, off-peak grid power, long-term green hydrogen underground storage (HEBE solution), emergency power generation using hydrogen, on-site medical oxygen production and its applications, waste heat potential for building heating, or perhaps snow melt?

#6254: What advanced materials could be used to develop a coating to prevent hydrogen leakage for mineral composite tanks?

HEBE has a proprietary underground storage solution for green hydrogen. We are looking to develop a low-cost, impermeable and durable coating for our epoxy granite tanks.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Canada Aerospace (MHICA)

#6000: With recent advances in structural optimization, electric and hybrid propulsion technologies and sustainable aviation fuels, how feasible will it be to implement these technologies from a technical, cost and timeframe?

As these new sustainable technologies mature and scale, we are interested in examining the advantages and challenges of implementing new propulsion and fuel sources and the timelines to reduce emissions.

Pratt & Whitney Canada

#6236: What are the main sources of hydrogen leakage in a future hydrogen ecosystem for air transportation? What technologies are available or need to be developed to detect, track and reduce hydrogen leakage?

Hydrogen as a fuel brings new safety concerns related to leakage during production, distribution and usage. It is also an indirect greenhouse gas with a non-negligible contribution to global warming. Some estimates indicate that climate warming from hydrogen leakage may be equivalent to 5% of the carbon dioxide avoided through displacing fossil fuels with hydrogen.

#6239: What regulatory approaches and/or technologies are needed to incentivize avoidance actions by operators and verify resulting contrail outcomes?

Contrail avoidance has the potential to substantially reduce aviation climate warming in the near term. It has been shown to work on aggregate, but linking individual operator actions to contrail mitigation is subject to much uncertainty.

Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing

#6203: How can aerospace employers encourage or even inspire future generations to consider careers in the industry?

The aerospace industry is undergoing rapid technological advancements, regulatory demands, and increasing passenger expectations. Building up the aerospace workforce of tomorrow is increasingly more important amid competitive labour market conditions (and the soon-to-be massive demands for workers from the automotive/EV segment, with which aerospace employers compete for talent). What investments do employers need to put in place to better prepare future aerospace employees to embrace digital and technological advances through AI/ML and autonomous navigation, sustainable technologies and practices to meet net zero by 2050, as well as how to foster a culture of inclusivity to move towards a more diverse workforce that better represents all Canadians?