Center Will Focus On Advanced Technologies For More Electric
Aircraft And Other Applications
GE Aviation plans to create an Electrical Power Integrated
Systems Research & Development Center (EPISCENTER) near Dayton,
Ohio. The center will be directed at several markets including more
electric aircraft, on- and off-highway hybrid and electric
vehicles, and marine applications.
“GE’s EPISCENTER will focus on advanced energy
management involving electric power systems research and
development including electric power generation, control,
distribution & management, conversion and energy storage
equipment,” said Vic Bonneau, president of Electric Power for
GE Aviation Systems. “This center of excellence will be used
to design optimized systems that deliver electric power efficiently
and robustly for our military and commercial customers.”
The Ohio Third Frontier Commission is providing a capital grant
for up to $7.6 million in support of the center. “Helping to
launch innovative technology in the aviation industry is an
important aim of Ohio Third Frontier,” said Ohio Governor Ted
Strickland said. “This investment underscores the importance
of linking Ohio’s educational and industrial research
strengths to boost Ohio as an advanced technology
leader.”
"The center will be focused on developing electrical power
improvements for a range of growth applications," said Lisa
Patt-McDaniel, director of the Ohio Department of Development.
"This new addition to the Dayton area will further cement its
position as a leader in advanced aviation technology."
The fiscal agent for the Ohio Third Frontier grant will be the
University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI). The UDRI
researchers will work with GE to develop and deploy cutting-edge
computer modeling, simulation & analysis of advanced, dynamic
electric power systems design and controls.
“UDRI is proud to have made a difference by working with
GE and the state to attract this center to Ohio,” said John
Leland, director of UDRI. “This center will allow us to build
on long-standing capabilities in modeling and simulation that may
eventually be applied to other complex electrical systems such as
smart utility grids and electric vehicles.”
“Electrification in transportation is a growth
area,” continued Bonneau. “This center will yield
system-level benefits so that our customers can more rapidly
benefit from this trend in energy management, climate control,
radars and sensors, silicon carbide based power conversion and
electric actuation, to name a few.”
The center will work on advanced electrical power systems
research and development especially in the aviation
industry’s More Electric Aircraft (MEA) technology, as well
as in support of hybrid electric ground vehicles and the
electrification of naval surface ships. GE’s electrical power
technology path supports coming generations of commercial air
transports, business and regional jets, and strategic and tactical
future programs such as the ground combat vehicle, the joint light
tactical vehicle, numerous public and proprietary unmanned air
vehicles, and the miniaturization effort of electrical power on
naval vessels.
“Proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and its Air
Force Research Labs (AFRL) was an additional consideration in
GE’s decision to locate in the Dayton region,” added
Bonneau. “The center will allow GE and UDRI to provide
significant new support to AFRL. This will make available a
world-class facility for research into robust electric power
systems, which will enhance the Dayton region’s
attractiveness as a center of aviation research and
development.”
This new center adds to GE’s leading research and
development capabilities, which are focused on finding solutions to
some of the world’s toughest challenges. Research employees
at the center will join 2,800 researchers and employees at
GE’s four global research facilities. GE’s R&D
employees represent nearly every scientific discipline and more
than 1,100 of them hold doctoral degrees.
The exact location of the center is expected to be announced by
the end of 2010 following site research, analysis and final
business reviews. GE expects EPISCENTER operations to begin in
2012.