Every kid's dream may be coming true – their very own flying machine and it is emissions free – almost. NASA is building a personal flying VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft) that takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like a plane. It’s called the Puffin.
It really is like an oversized personal flying suit – at 12ft (3.7m) tall and with a 13ft 6” (4.1m) wingspan. It has an estimated a 150mph (240kph) cruising speed and a 300mph (480kph) top speed, so it is more like a flying sportscar or motorcycle. Using batteries for power, its range is around 50 miles (80kms) which is more than enough for a quick blast for fun or a commute into, or out of, town.
I could have used it when I commuted to work, rather than taking my motorbike on the 25mile (40km) ride and 24 nautical mile (44km) ferry journey that took almost 3 hours each way. The direct flight route would have been about 40kms so a quick plug-in at the office would have been a good idea to ensure I got home.
With 7.5ft (2.3m) diameter rotors each driven by 30hp electric motors and a low 400lb (181.5kg) weight due to composite construction, it has some serious thrust capability and will give its high-tech lithium phosphate batteries a bit of a bashing. NASA hopes to get a one third size demonstrator flying by March, and they expect battery technology to at least double the range over the next few years.
According to a Scientific American article, Mark Moore from NASA Langley Research Center, said it was called a Puffin because those birds look awkward, with small wings – just like the personal aircraft. The Puffin bird is also an environmentally friendly bird that hides its own waste – and the mechanical Puffin is also clean, at least it is emissions free during use apart from when charging.
It’s likely the Puffin will be used by the military, for special operations, with low heat emissions, low noise and a versatile flight profile. But since personal aviation is such big business in the US, and this is likely a ‘must-have’ for people who want the best toys, or the biggest thrill, then it is a certainty that there will be civilian versions made too. Maybe your next sportscar or Harley purchase will turn into a NASA Puffin, and a tax write-off if you use it for business travel. Wonder if parents would let the kids borrow it?
As for emissions, after revising the estimations based on the flight power profile provided by Mark Moore (NASA Langley Research Center), assuming 60hp for 1 min to attain full forward speed, cruise at 150mph (240kph) on 20hp for 20 min, and then 1 min at 60 hp to land. Assuming a 90% conversion efficiency from the battery to forward thrust and a 90% efficiency of charging the batteries in the first place, it seems that the Puffin consumes only 7.2kwh of electrical energy in its flight, and 8kwh including initial battery charging efficiency.
With an estimated 1300lbs (600kgs) of CO2 emitted per MWh in the US for electrical power production, it means the Puffin will consume electricity (8kwh) with 10.6lb (4.8kg) of CO2 emissions. This is about the same as 0.53 US gallons (2 litres) of gasoline, which gives us about 20miles (32kms) in our Toyota Yaris, or about 27.3miles (44kms) on my motorcycle. Since the Puffin can fly about 50miles (80kms), it means it is about 40% as polluting as the Yaris and almost half (55%) as polluting as the sportsbike. It is way better than your SUV and conventional helicopters because of the high efficiency electric motors and batteries compared to an internal combustion engine. It is one cool, green machine!
Trevor Williams is a University of Victoria Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate specializing in renewable energy, power grid modeling and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. He has a bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering, a Masters in Management Science and over 23 years international experience in the space industry, having worked on Earth observation and telecommunications satellites. He is the author of the Eco-Geek blog.
Thank you for the update and corrected information. I could not find power consumption values for lift-off, cruise and landing so I assumed a worse case rather than a 30% thrust level for cruise. Your numbers make quite a difference and clearly shows the benefit of high efficiency electric propulsion, with low mass and advanced aerodynamic design. It is a cool design, and being able to claim 'green' status is great - I look forward to seeing its development and production. Maybe NASA Langley can put out some official emission estimates based on round trip efficiency. Here in BC the electrical emissions is about 1/6th that of the US due to hydro-electric power generation so the Puffin would get classified as ultra-green. Best wishes for a successful project.
written by Trevor J Williams , February 21, 2010
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written by Mark Moore, NASA Langley Research Center , February 21, 2010