Aerodynamic interaction between propellers of a distributed-propulsion system in forward flight

Vries, R. de; Arnhem, Nando van; Sinnige, Tomas; Vos, Roelof; Veldhuis, L.L.M.

doi:10.1016/j.ast.2021.107009

Cited by 79 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…A detailed characterization of wing-propeller interaction effects is therefore necessary in the perspective of designing novel regional aircraft configurations exploiting tip propeller drag-reduction benefits. Lots of research efforts have been spent in the past on the experimental characterization of wing-propeller interactions, with recent test campaigns taking advantage of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurement techniques applied to both inboard and outboard propeller installations [3,7]. Numerical studies using simplified analytical methodologies [8,9] or Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) techniques [10,11] have investigated different aspects of a single propeller installed inboard or at the wing tip.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drag Reduction by Wingtip-Mounted Propellers in Distributed Propulsion Configurations

Minervino

Andreutti

Russo

et al. 2022

Fluids

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Tip-mounted propellers can increase wing aerodynamic efficiency, and the concept is gaining appeal in the context of hybrid electrical propulsion for greener aviation, as smaller and lighter electrical motors can help with mitigating structural drawbacks of a tip engine installation. A numerical study of tip propeller effects on wing aerodynamics is herein illustrated, considering different power configurations of a Regional Aircraft wing. A drag breakdown analysis using far-field methods is presented for one of the most promising configurations, and a comparison between drag reductions obtained with a tip propeller or a standard winglet installation is also provided. Numerical flow simulations using Finite Volume Methods with actuator disk models are compared with results of a Vortex-Lattice Method, and far-field aerodynamic force calculation is performed for different mesh sizes. A wing drag reduction up to 6% (10%) is predicted under typical cruise (climb) flight conditions when wingtip-mounted propellers take over half of the total thrust usually provided by turbo-prop engines installed at inboard wing position. Drag breakdown analysis confirmed that the observed benefits mainly come from a reduction in the reversible drag component, increasing the effective wing span efficiency.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drag Reduction by Wingtip-Mounted Propellers in Distributed Propulsion Configurations

Minervino

Andreutti

Russo

et al. 2022

Fluids

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“…The goal of the propulsion design framework is to allow the preliminary study and comparison of different configurations. The analysis focuses around the design of efficient propellers which can provide enough thrust during all phases of the mission, which are [3]: vertical take-off (1); transition from hover to climb (2); climb to cruising altitude (3); cruise (4); loiter in horizontal flight (5); descent (6); transition to hover (7); loiter in hover (8); and landing (9). A schematic of these phases can be seen in Figure 3.…”

Section: Propulsion System Design Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the Wigeon, a propeller lateral separation of 0.3 m was chosen, which corresponds to 30% of the radius. A study by de Vries et al shows that, in horizontal flight, a distributed propulsion system using open rotors sees a drop in propeller efficiency of 1.5% for a separation between propeller tips of 2% of the propeller diameter [8]. In a different study carried out by Zhou et al, it was shown that the thrust coefficient of two propellers with a tip separation of 5% of the propeller diameter is within 2% of that of a single propeller under static thrust conditions, although a significant increase in thrust fluctuation is seen [9].…”

Section: Stall Of Blade Sectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This manuscript elaborates on the propulsion and power system design methodology devised in the Wigeon project as a means of the preliminary design of open rotor eVTOL configurations, which are characterised by the use of innovative distributed propulsion architectures for their propulsion and power systems. Procedures to design efficient propellers are already available in the literature [5,6] and can be applied to eVTOL aircraft; however, the use of these unconventional distributed propulsion configurations, required in order to ensure safety, controllability, and performance during vertical and horizontal flight and the transition between them also results in more difficult performance analysis due to the close coupling between the propulsive and aerodynamic systems, even though analyses of these open rotor distributed propulsion configurations applied to VTOL [7,8] and UAV [9] vehicles are already available in the literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preliminary Propulsion and Power System Design of a Tandem-Wing Long-Range eVTOL Aircraft

Alba-Maestre¹,

Reine²,

Sinnige³

et al. 2021

Applied Sciences

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Novel eVTOL aircraft configurations are picking up momentum in the emerging market of urban air mobility (UAM). These configurations feature electrical power systems and distributed propulsion architectures, both uncommon in current aircraft. As such, the design of eVTOL aircraft lies outside the bounds of current established frameworks and poses many challenges in the field of preliminary aircraft design. This paper presents a preliminary design methodology for open rotor eVTOL configurations with batteries as the power source. First, the propeller external dimensions are calculated, and then an optimised blade geometry for cruise condition is computed. Thereupon, the batteries and electric motors are sized. The design framework is then applied to an eVTOL aircraft with a design range of 400 km and a capacity of five occupants (four passengers and one pilot), focusing on the central-European market and aimed to be released in 2030. The final configuration is a battery-powered tandem-wing aircraft with 12 variable-pitch, variable-speed open rotors placed on the leading edges of the wings. These rotors rotate outboard-down and feature six blades. The power source comprises 24 solid-state lithium batteries with a nominal voltage of 500 V and an assumed energy density of 500 Wh/kg. The proposed design methodology offers the possibility of computing the necessary propeller geometry for numerical simulations in the early stages of the design, and of easily obtaining accurate estimates for the mass of the power system which can improve the overall mass estimates for the analysed configuration.

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“…Zawodny et al [10] used unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) coupled with the Ffowcs-Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy to study broadband noise propagation for a small UAV while Afari et al [11] and Mankbadi et al [7] employed the DES turbulence formulation along with the FW-H formulation to investigate the propagation of both tonal and broadband noise generated by a small UAV to the far-field. Several experimental campaigns to acoustically characterise small UAVs include the work of Lu et al [12] and Intaratep et al [13] while aerodynamic interaction between the propellers of a DEP system is explored by Vries et al [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical characterisation of noise generated by a distributed-propulsion propeller

Sharma

Ambrose

Jefferson-Loveday

2022

28th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics 2022 Conference

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The shift towards sustainable and eco-friendly future of aviation is further catalysed by the aggressive targets set by administrative and industrial stakeholders. It has emerged as one of the solutions with the potential to increase overall efficiency and improve noise emissions. This paper characterises the flow and acoustic field associated with a DEP propeller. A hybrid methodology using scale-resolving turbulence formulation and an acoustic analogy is used to predict aerodynamic noise generation and acoustic wave propagation to the far-field for an isolated DEP propeller. The numerical predictions are observed to be in reasonable agreement with the measured values for both aerodynamic and aero-acoustic attributes. The sensitivity of far-field acoustic spectra to the integration surface is also presented. The results are further analysed to identify dominant noise sources in the system including propeller and wake flows. I. Nomenclature= density RANS = Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes LES = Large eddy simulation WALE = Wall-adopted local eddy-viscosity DEP = Distributed electric propulsion

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Aerodynamic interaction between propellers of a distributed-propulsion system in forward flight

Cited by 79 publications

References 22 publications

Drag Reduction by Wingtip-Mounted Propellers in Distributed Propulsion Configurations

Drag Reduction by Wingtip-Mounted Propellers in Distributed Propulsion Configurations

Preliminary Propulsion and Power System Design of a Tandem-Wing Long-Range eVTOL Aircraft

Numerical characterisation of noise generated by a distributed-propulsion propeller

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