Ongoing projects

The National Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI is currently beeing part of a European research program within the Framework Program 7, aimed at identifying the exhaust noise of a helicopter engine, in order to allow focusing future research efforts on the most significant noise sources.

The project, called "Efficient Systems and Propulsion for Small Aircraft", acronym ESPOSA, involves 39 partners, from 16 European countries, as follows:

  • PRVNI BRNENSKA STROJIRNA VELKA BITES A.S. (Czech Republic) - COORDINATOR

  • WINNER SCS (Austria)

  • CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF AVIATION MOTORS (Russia)

  • UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES (Belgium)

  • CENTRE DE RECHERCHE EN AERONAUTIQUE ASBL - CENAERO (Belgium)

  • MOTOR SICH JSC (Ukraine)

  • JIHOSTROJ AS (Czech Republic)

  • STICHTING NATIONAAL LUCHT- EN RUIMTEVAARTLABORATORIUM (The Netherlands)

  • ZAPOROZHYE MACHINE-BUILDING DESIGN BUREAU PROGRESS STATE ENTERPRISE NAMED AFTER ACADEMICIAN A.G. IVCHENKO (Ukraine)

  • EVEKTOR, spol. s.r.o. (Czech Republic)

  • INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE TURBOMOTOARE - COMOTI (Romania)

  • FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION (Spain)

  • HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL SRO (Czech Republic)

  • GROB AIRCRAFT AG (Germany)

  • VYSOKE UCENI TECHNICKE V BRNE (Czech Republic)

  • VYZKUMNY A ZKUSEBNI LETECKY USTAV A.S. (Czech Republic)

  • FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V (Germany)

  • TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT (Finland)

  • AVIO S.P.A (Italy)

  • UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA (Italy)

  • ATARD SAVUNMA VE HAVACILIK SANAYI ILERI TEKNOLOJI UYGULAMALARI ARASTIRMA VE GELISTIRME A.S. (Turkey)

  • CENTRO ITALIANO RICERCHE AEROSPAZIALI SCPA (Italy)

  • WYTWORNIA SPRZETU KOMUNIKACYJNEGO PZL - RZESZOW SA (Poland)

  • TOBB EKONOMI VE TEKNOLOJI UNIVERSITESI (Turkey)

  • UNIS AS (Czech Republic)

  • ZAKLADY LOTNICZE MARGANSKI & MYSLOWSKI SP ZOO (Poland) - BENEFICIARY

  • TUSAS MOTOR SANAYI AS (Turkey)

  • POLITECHNIKA WARSZAWSKA (Poland)

  • SYSGO AG (Germany)

  • TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY KOSICE (Slovakia)

  • BUDAPESTI MUSZAKI ES GAZDASAGTUDOMANYI EGYETEM (Hungary)

  • ZOLLERN GMBH & CO KG (Germany)

  • MATERIALS ENGINEERING RESEARCH LABORATORY LIMITED (United Kingdom)

  • INSTYTUT LOTNICTWA (Poland)

  • TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN (Germany)

  • POLITECHNIKA RZESZOWSKA IM IGNACEGO LUKASIEWICZA PRZ (Poland)

  • INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARI AEROSPATIALE ELIE CARAFOLI - I.N.C.A.S. SA (Romania)

  • TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT (The Netherlands)

  • PIAGGIO AERO INDUSTRIES SPA (Italy)

The ESPOSA project will develop and integrate novel design and manufacture technologies for a range of small gas turbine engines up to approx. 1000 kW to provide aircraft manufacturers with better choice of modern propulsion units. It will also deal with engine related systems which contribute to the overall propulsion unit efficiency, safety and pilot workload reduction. Through the newly developed design tools and methodologies for the engine/aircraft integration the project will also contribute to the improved readiness for new turbine engines installation into aircraft. New technologies and knowledge gained through the ESPOSA project will provide European general aviation industry with substantially improved ability to develop and use affordable and environmentally acceptable propulsion units and reliable aircraft systems minimizing operating costs, while increasing the level of safety. The new engine systems and engine technologies gained from ESPOSA should deliver 10-14% reduction in direct operating costs (DOC) and reduce significantly the pilot workload. The ESPOSA project is oriented on turbine engine technologies tailored for a small aircraft up to 19 seats (under CS-23/FAR23) operated on the scheduled and non-scheduled flights. The research work comprises performance improvements of key engine components, their improved manufacture in terms of costs and quality. New engine component technologies will be backed by novel modern electronic engine control based on COTS, pioneering the engine health monitoring for small engines and providing new more electric solutions for fuel and propeller control systems. Project activities will include extensive validation on the test rigs. The most appropriate technologies according to value/cost benefit will be selected and integrated into functional complexes and further evaluated on the engine test beds. The functionality of certain project outcomes will also be demonstrated and validated in-flight conditions.

COMOTI's role in the project is multiple. The institute is involved in two of the nine sub-projects of ESPOSA: Optimal Engine Components, and Lean Manufacturing Technologies.

In the Optimal Engine Components sub-project, COMOTI is part of the Advanced Cooled Turbine Design, where it will manufacture an interturbine duct; will set up and adapt its existing test rig for experimental measurements and will carry out experimental measurements for the first design of the interturbine duct, of the Efficient Combustor Concept development, where it will adaptation its existing testing system for the testing of a JETIS combustor sector under elevated pressure and temperature, it will manufacture the test rig jigs, will experimentally test the JETIS combustor sector at elevated pressure and temperature, using PIV and PLIF laser measurement methods and as well as pollutant emissions measurements, and will elaborate the measurement reports, and of the Optimum Gearbox Concept development, where it will provide support for the gap, acoustic, and dynamic analysis of the power gearbox, for the power gearbox optimization and design, for the test plan definition, and for the acoustic emissions correlation activities, will define and apply the acoustic instrumentation and will perform acoustic measurements during the power gearbox test, will issue the acoustic measurements report and will participate in the manufacturing of the enhanced gearbox components.

In the Lean Manufacturing Technologies sub-project, COMOTI is part of the Low-cost Machining for Compressors, where it will determine the requirements for resource-saving manufacturing processes for compressor parts, and of the Low-cost Gearbox Manufacturing, where it will manufacture the superfinished test samples, will carry out the pitting and scuffing FZG tests on both induction hardened and superfinished samples, and will participate in the identification of candidate materials and in the material selection and in the finishing techniques scouting, and in the drafting of the induction hardening technology and finishing techniques final reports.