Environmentally-Friendly Aeronautical Transport Systems Integrated Program (EFATRAS) is a research project integrated (PI) on “Programas Integrados de IC&DT – Centro SCT 2011-12″, being carried on at Centre Region of Portugal.
EFATRAS was built according to the European 7th FP for the specific program of Cooperation in the thematic area of Transports (including Aeronautics). It covers a broad band of aspects of this area from more efficient and environmentally friendly aeroengines to the utilization of recycled materials for heavy duty pavements in airports or satellites and communications. The most recent areas of multidisciplinary design optimization of new aircraft concepts, new low-emissions combustor technologies and biofuels utilization for aeroengines are also specific areas of competences of the present PI. New business models for regional air transport, which are most relevant for Centro Region, will also be addressed by the PI in a close connection with the more technological areas.
The activities may evolve to other areas such as sustainable energy or non-aeronautical materials or products through the transversal connections inside the Associated Laboratories LAETA (Laboratório Associado em Energia, Transportes e Aeronáutica), IT (Instituto de Telecomunicações) and C-MADE (Centre of Materials and Building Technologies).
Highly skilled human resources will be anchored at the Centro region through the EFATRAS, and resulting spin-off’s or associations will generate employment. Simultaneously, this project seeks for the increase of the feedback to Portugal of the highly-skilled work that has been incorporated in many European projects under the previous Framework Programmes (FP’s), which has mainly been resulting in significant industrial outputs for the major European countries.
A brief description of each research activities are presented, as follows:
1. Aerospace Structures and Materials
Development and characterization of high performance materials for aerospace and aeronautical applications aiming at designing structural configurations and components with optimized strength to weight ratios and damage tolerant properties.
2. New Business Models to the Regional Air Transport
Drawing business models for small airports and quantifying regional benefits based on the existence of such a transport infrastructure with particular emphasis in improvements related to eventual evaluation to city/village-airport.
3. Satellites
Development of a proposal to solve a set of new astrodynamics problems that once answer will be useful for practical applications in aerospace industry, especially for stabilization and attitude control systems of satellites and spacecraft.
4. Modelling of a BioFuel Spray Wall Impingement
Providing of a sustainable alternative non fossil energy source for the aviation of transport and study the turbulent dispersion, impact and spray evaporation, which have major importance in systems optimization and performance of powered aero-engines.
5. Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of New Aircraft Concepts
The aim of the proposed activity is twofold: to investigate new aircraft concepts that can significantly improve energy savings for flight; and to develop a multidisciplinary design optimization computational toll for aircraft design.
6. Optimal Control of 4D Flight Trajectories for Commercial Airplanes
The activity deals with 4D navigation guidance and control of commercial airplanes along given sequences of waypoints, or along predefined trajectories, with time constrains at given check points and fuel saving considerations.
7. Recycled and Waste Aggregates in Airports Asphalt Mixtures
Assessing mechanical performance and durability of base and/or surfacing bituminous mixtures containing secondary (waste/recycled) materials as aggregate substitutes in semi-flexible heavy duty pavements for airports designed to suit European climatic conditions.
This project is co-financed by:
EFATRAS 