Viraj Aero has been named among the winners of the 28th i-Lab innovation competition, run by Bpifrance on behalf of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research as part of the France 2030 plan. i-Lab supports deep-tech ventures whose technology has been demonstrated but whose industrial path still has to be built.
The award supports our work on steam injection in gas turbines. Water contained in the exhaust gas is recovered in flight by an onboard condenser and reinjected into the combustion chamber. The loop is closed, with no water tank carried on board. That condenser is the subject of a Viraj Aero patent, and it is what makes the wet cycle viable in an aircraft, where weight and volume leave very little margin.
The principle acts on two fronts at once. Injecting steam increases the mass flow through the turbine and raises its efficiency, while lowering peak combustion temperature, which limits the formation of nitrogen oxides. The result we are targeting is a substantial reduction in both fuel burn and emissions, including the non-CO2 effects that account for a significant share of aviation's climate impact yet sit outside most decarbonisation roadmaps.
The same architecture is designed to scale from light aviation to regional aircraft, and to other ground applications.
Our thanks go to Bpifrance and to the Ministry of Higher Education and Research for their confidence in the project, and to our team and partners.
About France 2030
France 2030 is investing more than €50 billion, including €34 billion in new funding, to help French companies, universities and research bodies lead the transitions under way in strategic sectors. The plan is built around ten objectives, one of which is to produce the first low-carbon aircraft. It is overseen by Bruno Bonnell, Secretary General for Investment.
More at : link
