International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882

Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014

Design and Fabrication of EDF BLEVE Jet Hybrid Engine

1

ROSHNA.A, 2MANIKANDAN.K
M.E Student, Dept. of Aeronautical Engineering, DSCET, Mamallapuram, Chennai, India
2
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Aeronautical Engineering, DSCET, Mamallapuram, Chennai, India
1

ABSTRACT
The EDF BLEVE Jet Hybrid Engine is a
pioneer technology jet engine which works in
hybrid powers the Electrical, Steam (BLEVE) and
Cone fuel (Ethanol) and also to be reliable in
producing thrust even 1 of the hybrid power fails.
The efficiency of this engine is high when
compared to the contemporary engines, less toxic
emissions and 100% renewable power sources.
The Electric system consists of the EDF
(Electric Duct Fan) as the air intake and Ram Air
Turbine, Axial Flow Compressor (linked with an
Alternator), Battery and Photo cell. The electrical
energy needed for the engine is harvested by the
over wing surface mount Photo cells, Ram Air
Turbines and Alternators. The EDF will be hybrid
type Alternators Motors which produce electrical
power when rotated and when powered electrical
produce thrust this help in reducing the weight of
the engine and a power source for the aircraft.
BLEVE will be a pioneer technology derived from
a common observation in kitchen; the explosive
reactions of water with hot objects this technology
can increase the mass of exhaust gas which has the
direct relation with thrust equation. The
requirement of fossil fuel is made to null with the
use of interchangeable Cone fuel. The Cone fuel is
a renewable fuel, less toxic and has a less
manufacturing cost.. The engine can be used in civil
commercial jet aircraft which fly bellow mach 1.
Keyword: - Hybrid Engine, Green Technology,
100% Renewable Fuels, BLEVE.
1.

INTRODUCTION
Alternative energy advances have been
remarkable. However, new technology, processes
and products must be evaluated against the expense
of bringing them to market. With a difficult
economy, limited budgets and engineering
resources, airplane manufacturers find it much more
difficult to invest in developing new technology
during tough economic times. Unfortunately, this
means innovation can be delayed, perhaps when we
need it most. Innovation is sometimes inspired by
incremental operational or cost benefits. It may also
come as a result of a significant outside threat.
Recently, several political, economic and industrial

factors have combined in a manner that threatens

aviation gasolines long term viability.
If innovation in aviation can progress,
alternative energy may offer an answer to the
potential halt of aviation gas production. Will these
offerings be ready and broadly available in time?
Are petroleum-based solutions going to share the
stage with new bio fuels? And, what about the high
profile electric and hybrid technology that has
swept through the automobile industry? Can
aviation benefit from that learning curve and make
a faster transition? The hybrid airplane can be more
efficient than a single engine airplane due to a
particular requirement of the federal safety
regulations. When we learn about the Problem in
aviation the main problems arrive in our minds are
Cost for a Mile, Non Renewable Resources-ATF
and Inefficient of Solar Energy harvesting. The aim
of the present work is to design and fabricate a
power plant which is renewable, green, reliable,
redundant and less maintains. The EDF BLEVE
JET HYBRID ENGINE primary power source is
the solar energy or photons. The sun the source of
all energy shines in the sky all the day and its
energy been unused returned back to space by
terrestrial radiation while the world suffers energy
crises which impacts the world technologically and
economically very badly. So naturally in all
common minds a question rises why solar energy
cant be used? The answer is YES to domestic use
but NO in aviation because aircraft with larger wing
area or lengthier wing span will be difficult to taxi
in a busy aerodrome like Hartsfield handling
994,346 aircraft per year or to fly in a busy air route
like Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo having 284 flights
per day.
The sun illumination is said to be 1400 Watts
(2Hp) in a square meter there is photon cells as on
today even with NASA to trap 100% or even 30%
solar energy or photons. The second option is to
increase the area of photon cells so as to trap more
amounts of photos with a less efficient photon cells,
this is not possible as The International Civil
Aviation
Organization
(ICAO)
convention
regulations permits the manufacturing of civil
aircraft with wing span of less than 80meters.
Airbus 380 wing span was made 79.75meters by

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014

regulation but in order to produce lift for 525

typical 3 class passengers and there pay load the
wing tip vertex is designed with the greenA380 and
not kept as a customer option.
Electricity has been used in powered flight
since the pioneering days of aviation. Orville and
Wilbur Wright used an electrical spark to ignite the
fuel mixture in the engine that powered the Wright
Flyer off the ground and into the history books.
Todays jet airplanes have much more demanding
requirements and consequently more advanced
electrical systems, of which batteries are an integral
component. Earlier commercial airplane models,
such as the 777, 747 and MD-11, used nickel
cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries, which are heavier,
larger and less powerful. Boeing designs airplanes
with two key objectives in mind: design to prevent
failures, and design in protections in case they do.
Above all, the goal is to ensure that no single failure
will ever prevent safe operation of the aircraft. This
philosophy is integral to the battery design, which
includes multiple independent protections to the
battery.
When we study about the electrical powered
engine aircrafts we can see that the electrical
powered airplanes have low speed than the fossil
fuel jet engines. But it has advantages Electric
motors are highly efficient, robust and do not lose
power at higher density altitudes. They are also
quiet and emission free. Perhaps most important for
aviation, electric motors are relatively light weight.
A 200- horsepower electric motor weighs only onethird that of an equivalent horsepower internal
combustion engine. These features are certainly
compelling. The critical question is how to
efficiently get energy to the electric motor. For that,
need a battery. In airplanes, a hybrid electric design
improves efficiency mainly by making it possible to
use a relatively small gas-powered engine designed
to run at its most efficient at cruising speeds. The
battery and electric motor provide the extra power
needed for takeoff and ascent. The batteries also
make it possible to recover energy during descent
much the way hybrid cars capture energy during
braking (propellers spin a generator). And, as
batteries improve, they will provide more and more
of the energy on board. These design changes,
together with the efficiency of the hybrid
propulsion, could help decrease fuel consumption
by half.
Alternate source of energy primarily Fossil
fuel then the Hydro, Wind and Tide projects. The
fossil fuel is the primary source of energy not only
in aviation but around the globe. The study of
consuming fossil fuel always ends up at last an age
with no fossil fuel, the price rate increasing in

Geometrical progression and the pollution. The first

application of electric propulsion for large planes
will be for taxiing, allowing planes to save fuel on
the ground. So for the next several years hybrid
technology will be limited to small planes. One
near-term benefit of the technology is that small
airports (which are often located near residential
areas) will be quieter says Jean Koster, a professor
of aerospace engineering sciences at the University
of Colorado.
The hybrid airplane can be more efficient
than a single engine airplane. An important safety
feature of the hybrid design is that the auxiliary
engine provides emergency power without
unsymmetrical thrust. Unsymmetrical thrust is the
condition caused by loss of power on one side of a
conventional twin engine aircraft. Such power loss
seriously decreases aircraft performance and makes
the aircraft much more difficult to control. In
airplanes, a hybrid electric design improves
efficiency mainly by making it possible to use a
relatively small gas-powered engine designed to run
at its most efficient at cruising speeds. Electric
motors confer other advantages which can be used
to improve aerodynamics.
2.
LITERATURE SURVEY
Pavlos Mikellides (1) designed an electric or
electric-hybrid powered regional aircraft .Capable
of a 500 nautical mile range cruising within 0.720.8 Mach number range. Furthermore, the design
should accommodate 25-50 passengers with a target
service date of no later than year 2025. The design
challenge is quite comprehensive including analysis
of environmental impact, potential modifications in
airport infrastructure, possible enhanced personnel
training to implement and maintain such new
technology and forecasts of production, operation
and maintenance costs.
John R. Pehrson(2) studied toxic air contamination
emission from aircraft engine. The specific focus of
this paper will be on the emission factors or
speciation profiles used. For the study of toxic air
contamination several TAC emission source tests
have been conducted on aircraft engines over 20
years (1984-2002) and created table and fusion
chart for exhaust emission measurements. After a
detailed study they concluded that the potential
overestimation of TAC emissions from aircraft may
be as high as 40 to 45 percent as the other transport
engines.
S. Bagassi, G. Bertini, D. Francia and F. Persiani(3)
studied the weight of the fuel carried onboard was
low for hybrid engines than the conventional ICE
engines. The electric energy stored in batteries, it
can be used by an electric motor with 92% or

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014

greater efficiency. If we consider that the efficiency

of diesel engines is around 40%, the high specific
energy of the chemical fuel is wasted on thermal
inefficiency.
W. Muller(4) studied a method and installation for
generating energy using
the BLEVE (Boiling
Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) reaction where
in condensate is pumped from an expansion
chamber and is fed to a first heat exchanger. There,
the liquid gas is heated in a first step to a certain
temperature. The liquid gas is heated in a second
heat exchanger with a safety valve to a higher
temperature and, while expanding, is introduced via
a pre-expansion valve, at the end of a feed line, to a
BLEVE-reaction chamber. The BLEVE-reaction
takes place in the reaction chamber, during which
gas is released and supplied via the outlet pipe to a
gas turbine. The gas turbine drives a generator. The
turbine and the generator may be housed in the
closed expansion chamber. The cycle of the method
is controlled by means of a regulating control. The
method described is particularly suited for a thermal
power plant, the waste heat of which is transformed
into electricity. This BLEVE energy can be utilized
to produce thrust with a different engineering.

Fig 3.2 Fire occurring in BLEVE

4.

WORKING OF EDF BLEVE JET

HYBRID ENGINE

A study was conducted for the analysis and

study of basic requirement of aircraft, technology
forecasting, identification of best technology and
final sized concept architecture. The studies
conclude in a design of hybrid engine which works
in electric, steam (BLEVE) and fossil fuel (The
EDF BLEVE Jet Engine). The design was first done
in a 2D platform of AutoCAD and further
developed to a 3D model in CATIA.

3.

BLEVES
(BOILING
LIQUID
EXPANDING VAPOR EXPLOSION)
BLEVE is a phenomenon in which the liquid water
suddenly changes its state from liquid to gas
(steam) with the application of pressure or and
temperature. The BLEVE is a phenomenon when a
large volume of water fall on hot surface above 100
degree centigrade the water absorb heat through
conduction and become steam suddenly creating a
high pressure steam explosion. The conduction
between the water and the hot body is due to the 2nd
law of thermodynamics. The 2nd law of thermo
dynamics states that heat flows from hot body to the
cold body till the temperature of the both body
reaches the equilibrium.

Fig 4.1-Overall Engine Connection

Fig 4.2-Engine in Working Condition

Fig 3.1 BLEVE Starting

After the Analyze and study of the model the

fabrication was done. Due the production cost is
high the project demonstration piece was fabricated
with aluminum (not in titanium) in 1:10 ratio and
was run.
All aircraft engine produce thrust with the 3rd
law of motion. Every action and has an equal and
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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014

opposite reaction (F=ma) from the equation it is

clear that the mass and the more mass and velocity
the exhaust the more the engine produce thrust.
This engine has 3 basics stages the Electric, Cone
fuel system and BLEVE to increase the mass flow
rate before giving a power full exhaust. The air is
taken in by the duct fan driven by a Brushless
motor C3536 K1500 powered by 13 volt LIPO
battery. The EDF fans are preferred because they
are efficient and it has the almost all properties of
turbojet engines intake of the modern aircraft, the
LIPO battery is considered as the late technologies
among battery, much efficient in charging and
discharge and also they can deliver the required
current without dropping the load voltage. To
produce the required amount of thrust and to
control the Flame out phenomena the fuel air ratio
should be maintained in an efficient manner, the
amount of air that is fuel air ratio will be controlled
with variable pitch and ohms law (variable
resistor).Ohm law: I=V/R and other derivations
V*I=W (power) and watts directly proportional to
the thrust.
The equations shows that

As per ohms law the circuit resistance is

inversely proportional to the current in the
circuit.

Current is directly proportional to the

power and the thrust, by controlling the
rpm the air intake can be controlled.
The power needed to generate thrust and the force
of the thrust can be related in a non-linear way. In
general,
. The proportionality constant
varies, and can be solved for a uniform flow:

The inverse of the proportionality constant, the

"efficiency" of an otherwise-perfect thruster, is
proportional to the area of the cross section of the
propelled volume of fluid (A) and the density of the
fluid ()
Operating
Voltage (V)
5
7.1
10.1
12.5

Amp draw Power

at load (A) (W=VI)
28.2
40
56.5
81.7

141
284
565
980

Thrust
(gms)
TW
546
1100
2500
3200

Table 4.1:Table Shows Operating Specification

Of C3536 K1500 Brushless Motor

Fig4. 3: Showing Thrust Produced For a

Given Voltage-Current
Variable pitch: The air intake can be controlled by
varying the pitch of the propeller, the air intake will
be directly proportional to the blade angle till it
stalls, at the stall it will be in feathered condition
and no air can be taken in.
NOTE: The variable pitch and the ohms law
application are redundant application.
The two phenomena affecting the engine
performance badly are Back Firing and Flame Out.
Back Firing means the exhaust is made through
intake. At the exhaust when the exhaust air fills up
there is a chance of creating high pressure and low
velocity this can result in exhaust made through
intake and produce a reverse Thrust or Drag. Flame
out is the case when the combustion is not
sustaining due to the high velocity of air movement
in the combustion chamber. The mass flow rate is
the factor when producing thrust and if amount of
air intake is reduced it will affect the mass flow rate
and the thrust. The Axial flow compressor (rotor
stator arrangement) creates a high pressure and a
low velocity of air at the intake so as not to cause
both Back Firing and Flame Out.
The Axial flow compressor has 2 function in
this EDF BLEVE jet engine, as above mentioned to
avoid Back Firing and Flame Out and 2nd function
is to produce electrical energy from the intake air.
The Axial flow compressor is linked to an
alternator with an axial, when the compressor
blades are rotated the alternator also gets rotated
and electric current is produced. The intake of the
engine is 130 mm in diameter and the intake guide
is 80mm diameter there is a chance of increasing

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014

the velocity of air before the combustion chamber,

this is design to be a convergent section because the
center portion of the Duct propeller (the propeller
Hub) is installed with the motor C3536 K1500 there
for the resultant intake will be reduced with 60mm
diameter giving a resultant divergent section and
this will decrease the velocity of intake air.
Combustion chamber: As the solar energy
cannot produce sufficient lift for the aircraft the
combustion chamber and the BLEVE is used. The
intake air is heated to decrease its molecular density
so that the air expands and give a high velocity at
the exhaust and the Cone fuel mixture gives extra
mass of CO2 and H2O into the intake air. The
initial ignition will be given by the sparkplug,
inductor and the battery combined. The fuel and air
is mix before the combustion chamber using aerosol
property. At the fuel dropper a venture is created,
this will blow the fuel to tine fragments and mix
with the fuel and air.
A radiator is kept on the engine and is filled
with water for controlling heat in the combustion
chamber. The engine is made of aluminum good
conductor of heat will transfer from aluminum to
water with 2ndlaw of thermodynamics. The law
states that when the hot body comes in contact with
a cold body, the heat flows from hot body to cold
body till it reach the equilibrium. Because of this
law the radiator will not allow the temperature to go
beyond 150 C and aluminum can withstand 700
C. As the temperature in the radiator rises to 100
C the water in liquid state will become steam and
pressure in the radiator rises. The radiator is so
designed that the pressure developed will be
released into the air after the combustion resulting
in BLEVE phenomena (Boiling Liquid Expanding
Vapor Explosion). The steam outlet from the
radiator, after the combustion chamber is also
designed to a venture so as a low pressure is created
at the outlet and steam is pumped into the system.
BLEVE is a phenomenon in which the liquid water
suddenly changes its state from liquid to gas or
steam with the application of pressure or and
temperature. BLEVE increase the mass of air
exhausted as it adds H2O into the system. And the
velocity of the steam increases. BLEVE increase
the thrust and cools the engine. The exhaust is made
convergent and a solid cone also installed to
increase the velocity of exhaust gas at the exhaust
by the venture effect thus by preventing high
pressure creation at the exhaust.
4.1

ADVANTAGES
1. This is a fuel efficient, clean and with
lesser CO and other greenhouse gas
emissions.

2. Aircraft engine which guarantee time and

flying cost.
3. It is reliable and comfortable as any
traditional.
4. Hybrids provide a better mileage.
5. The future for hybrids looks bright with
rapid developments in hybrid technology to
improve engine efficiency.
6. Due to the Regenerative Braking
technology, the batteries need not be
charged by an external source.
5.

PRACTICAL RESULTS OBTAINED

The weight of the engine after fabrication came
up to 2 kg. The thrust was calculated with the
help of a spring balance mounted horizontal. The
engine was mounted on a rail free to move in
forward and back only.
5.1 Electrical
Throttle
1/4
1/2
3/4
FULL

Spring
reading
100gms
340gms
700gms
1500gms

5.2 Cone Fuel

Throttle (Fuel Flow) Spring
reading
1/4
3100gms
1/2
4240gms
3/4
5030gms
FULL
6500gms

balance

balance

5.3

BLEVE
BLEVE was not controlled by throttle but by
an escape valve. When the valve is closed full the
water vapor to the engine will be more.
Throttle (Fuel Flow) Spring
balance
reading
1/4
6800gms
1/2
7150gms
3/4
7830gms
FULL
8500gms
6

CONCLUSION
EDF BLEVE JET HYBRID ENGINE is a new
hybrid technology in aircraft engines .Main
objective was to design an aircraft which has green,
reliable and hybrid by doing literature surveys. It
concluded that engine should be green (free from
toxic emissions) and the cost for a mile should be
made to less. On this solar was proposed but after
some studies it was understood that design of only

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014

solar can only fly at the equator regions, night

flying is too risky and also the solar panels
inefficient to contest solar energy will makes the
wing area more larger. So along with solar energy
some other was the other solution. Thus the EDF
BLEVE JET ENGINE was design and engine
fabrication also completed. Thrust calculations are
done.
REFERENCE
1) Dr. Pavlos Mikellides, Charles Lo FAA
design competition for universities,
electric/hybrid/electric,aircraft,technology
federal aviation administration Office of
Aviation Policy and Plans, Washington,
DC
2) John R. Pehrson FAA 2002. Emission
And Dispersion Modeling System (Edms)
Reference
Manual,Federal
Aviation
Administration, Washington, DC (May
2001); as updated bysupplements through
December 2002
3) Berry, D.A., M.W. Holdren, T.F. Lyon,
R.M. Riggin, and C.W. Spicer 1983
Turbine Engine Exhaust Hydrocarbon
Analysis Task 1 and 2, U.S. Air Force,
Engineering & Services Laboratory,
Tyndall Air Force Base, FL (June 1983).
ESL-TR-82-43.
4) E. Planas-Cuchi a,J.M. Salla b, J. Casal
Calculating Overpressure From Bleve
Explosions journals of science direct
1999.
5) Gerstle, T., P. Virag, M. Wade, L. Kimm
1999 Aircraft Engine And Auxiliary
Powerunit Emissions Testing: Volume 1,
Executive Summary, U.S. Air Force,
Institute for Environment, Safety and
Occupational Health Risk Analysis, Brooks
Air Force Base TX (March 1999). IERARS-BR-TR-1999-0006-Vol.1.
6) Tasneem Abbasi, S.A. Abbasi The Boiling
Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion
(Bleve) Is Fifty Y And Lives Onjournals
of science direct vol11 February 2008.
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Lng Bleve Fireball journals of science
direct 2000 vol 4 no 3.
8) Gerstle, T., P. Virag, M. Wade, L. Kimm
1999c.Aircraft Engine And Auxiliary
Powerunit Emissions Testing: Volume 3,
Particulate Matter Results, U.S. Air Force,
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Air Force Base,TX (March 1999). IERARS-BR-TR-1999-0006-Vol.3.

9) Park Ridge 2000a. Preliminary Study And
Analysis Of Toxic Air Pollutant Emissions
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Resulting Health Risks Created By
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City of Park Ridge, IL (August 2000).

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