College of Engineering
Mechanical engineering professor receives federal grant for electric aviation research
Rory Roberts says he believes the future of aviation is electric. The federal government
is going to help him make that a reality.
Roberts, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech, has received a $1.6 million grant from the United States Department of Energy for his research.
“This project is looking to electrify commercial aviation,” said Roberts. “This is looking at the larger 737 Boeing type aircraft for moving a large number of people for flights that are six to eight hours long, cross country and even U.S. to Europe.”
The official name for the project is High Power Density Carbon Neutral Electrical Power Generation for Air Vehicles. Roberts says the idea is to utilize carbon neutral fuels such as bio-derivatives, bio natural gas and methane to be integrated with traditional propulsion systems on aircraft to produce electricity.
Read the full story in the university newsroom here: https://www.tntech.edu/news/releases/21-22/tech-professor-receives-federal-grant-for-electric-aviation-research.php
