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Electric Liftfan Propulsion:
The quiet, reliable power provided by the CTE-68PD Engine is transmitted to a generator via a continuously-variable hydraulic/mechanical transmission that picks up power from the two engines free power fans. The engines run in turbosaft configuration, using ultra-lightweight titanium driveshafts which spin direct-drive planetary gears inside a compact armored box between the two turbofans. This combination of high technology and efficient, compact design minimizes bulk while maximizing resiliency, minimizes heat signature and fuel consumption while providing Archangel with class-leading speed and agility.
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[Tab=]Power from the gearbox is transmitted directly to a high efficiency (90%) lightweight permanent magnet electrical generator, rated at 1,000 kilowatts. This power is fed by armored, shielded cable to two magnetically-levitated ducted fans, one at the end of each wing. These motors mitigate many of the concerns and limitations encountered in conventional engine systems such as bearing wear, leaks, seal failure, and friction loss. The physical layout consists of a ducted fan drum rotor with blades attached at the outer diameter and supported by a stress tuner ring at the inner diameter. The drum rotor is made of composite material and is contained within a static shell assembly, or "stator." Magnetic fields suspend and support the rotor assembly within the stator. The rotor is driven by modulated electromagnetic fields between the rotor and the stator. Optimal modulation is achieved via the controller and power electronic drive circuitry between the power source and the propulsor.[/Tab]
The fan uses permanent magnet elements attached to the outer circumference of the rotor drum and wire coils placed in the stator shell. The permanent magnets are arranged in a Halbach configuration, which results in the production of a sinusoidally varying, periodic magnetic field in the vicinity of the stator coils. When set in motion, the time-varying magnetic fields interact with the passive coils in the stator assembly to produce repulsive forces between the stator and the rotor, providing magnetic suspension. The beauty of this technique is that it is inherently stable once the rotor reaches a critical speed and, thus, requires no active feedback control or superconductivity as seen in many traditional implementations of magnetic suspension. Each fan is rated at 156 kilonewtons of clean, efficient thrust, providing quiet, powerful and efficient thrust that can be rotated from 45 degrees forward to 0 degree vertical or 90 degree rear thrust for level flight. Computer-aided stability controls keep the aircraft flying without radical pilot input or constant maintenance. Archangel pilots have commented since the beginning of the design phase that the aircraft is powerful, agile and easy to fly.
