Safran Nacelles and ESIGELEC, with its Institute for Research in Embedded Electronic Systems (IRSEEM), announce the creation of their ePRISME joint laboratory (eTRAS Platform for Research and Innovation for Simulation, Modelisation and Evaluation of electric production lines), dedicated to the development of the future ETRAS thrust reverser electric actuation system. The ETRAS (Electric Thrust Reverser Actuation System) developed by Safran Nacelles and Safran Electronics & Defense is a lightweight, reliable and high-performance electric control system for thrust reversers. It efficiently replaces hydraulic controls while lightening the nacelle and simplifying maintenance.

In a context of increasing electrification of the aircraft and greater technological requirements from aircraft manufacturers, ePRISME aims to contribute to the rise in maturity of Safran Nacelles’ future thrust reverser.

The laboratory revolves around two major axes:

- The creation of a test platform for the electric production line, initially simulated and then gradually transformed into a test bench. This approach will test the integration of physical equipment in an environment representative of the final system.

- The development of a predictive maintenance research platform, dedicated to the preventive detection of faults on the electrical system and the actuation system, via advanced algorithms and hardware solutions.

The laboratory, which is opening at the end of 2025, will continue its work until 2029, with the possibility of being extended in line with industrial requirements. It will rely on a dedicated team of about fifteen people. On the ESIGELEC side, along with its IRSEEM Research Institute, there are eight representatives - teacher-researchers, post-doctorates and research engineers specialised in system control, prognosis, diagnosis, EMC and reliability of complex systems. Safran Nacelles will second seven engineers and experts in electrical and mechanical thrust reverser systems

Fabienne Lacorre, Safran Nacelles' Technical Director, stated: “We chose ESIGELEC and IRSEEM for the quality of their expertise in control-command, predictive maintenance, EMC and for their proven experience in a number of industrial sectors. The institute also has a strong history of collaboration with our teams. With ePRISME, Safran Nacelles is equipping itself with a unique test environment, capable of simulating operating and failure scenarios in near-real conditions, in order to accelerate the development, and improve the reliability of, our future electric thrust reverser for commercial aviation."

Etienne Craye, ESIGELEC's General Director, added: “EPRISME perfectly illustrates the will of our two institutions to share knowledge and expertise. This laboratory offers a unique framework for conducting applied research on critical systems and training tomorrow’s engineers and researchers."

With this laboratory, Safran Nacelles and ESIGELEC are making an additional contribution to the development of key technologies to accelerate the transition towards more electric aircraft, an area in which Safran is particularly invested.