**3. Hybrid and electric engines**

Hybrid aircraft engines will combine the advantages of a turbine engine, like the high energy density of jet fuel, over those of an electric engine, like lower noise levels and less upkeep. Existing battery powered electric propulsion systems in light UAVs and quadcopters provide environmentally friendly concepts with significantly reduced carbon footprint. Air traffic management, adverse weather conditions and battery capacity required for long range travel, energy-to-weight ratio and cooling efficiency are some constraints often debated during technological development of hybrid design concepts.

**Figure 1.** *Modular engine components in a typical engine architecture [2].*

*Electrification for Aero-Engines: A Case Study of Modularization in New Product… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109006*

**Figure 2.** *Pratt and Whitney geared turbofan [3].*

**Figure 3.** *Rolls-Royce ultrafan engine [4].*

**Figure 4.** *General electric NX engine [5].*

#### **Figure 5.** *CFM leap engine [6].*

Gas turbine engines have mechanically turned rotors, propellers, or fans with fuelburning engines. However, a distributed electric propulsion architecture, in which several electric motors can be tilted or turned off for both vertical take-off and horizontal flight, is used in a lot of recent designs. Anywhere on an aircraft, a turbogenerator can supply electric power to multiple electric motors.
