An Integrated Design Framework for Aircraft with Hybrid Electric Propulsion

Aigner, Benedikt; Hinz, Arne; Doncker, Rik W. De; Stumpf, Eike

doi:10.2514/6.2020-1501

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Seven single-channel propulsion configurations have been derived from the available information in the literature for green VTOLs [4,19,56,[72][73][74][75][76][77][78]. The configurations, as basic representations, are shown in Figure 6, together with a generic name describing the configuration, with all including motors and generators of the simplex type.…”

Section: Single-propulsion Channel Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A key driver for green VTOLS to deliver these potential improvements is the development of electric propulsion systems [17]. Improvements in electric Designs 2021, 5, 68 2 of 20 machine power density and efficiency, energy storage capacity and efficiency of batteries, and reliability of power converter technologies are all required to make electric propulsion for aircraft a more realistic proposition [1,18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modelling Green VTOL Concept Designs for Reliability and Efficiency

Booker

Patel

Mellor

2021

Designs

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All-electric and hybrid-electric aircraft are a future transport goal and a possible ‘green’ solution to increasing climate-related pressures for aviation. Ensuring the safety of passengers is of high importance, informed through appropriate reliability predictions to satisfy emerging flight certification requirements. This paper introduces another important consideration related to redundancy offered by multiplex electric motors, a maturing technology which could help electric aircraft manufacturers meet the high reliability targets being set. A concept design methodology is overviewed involving a symbolic representation of aircraft and block modelling of two important figures of merit, reliability, and efficiency, supported by data. This leads to a comparative study of green aircraft configurations indicating which have the most potential now, and in the future. Two main case studies are then presented: an electric tail rotor retrofitted to an existing turbine powered helicopter (hybrid) and an eVTOL aircraft (all-electric), demonstrating the impact of multiplex level and number of propulsion channels on meeting target reliabilities. The paper closes with a summary of the important contribution to be made by multiplex electric machines, well as the advancements necessary for green VTOL aircraft sub-systems, e.g., power control unit and batteries, to improve reliability predictions and safety further.

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Section: Single-propulsion Channel Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling Green VTOL Concept Designs for Reliability and Efficiency

Booker

Patel

Mellor

2021

Designs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…With SUAVE the propulsion architecture definition and implementation are independent of the mission analysis, enabling different combinations of propulsion components and strategies without using the simplified Breguet equation for range calculation. Normally, hybrid-electric aircraft design and the sizing process are based on component models with fixed efficiencies [5][6][7][8]. Therefore, the research gap of this study is to combine higher fidelity sub-system models into the hybrid-electric aircraft design using SUAVE as an iterative design tool.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary hybrid-electric aircraft design with advancements on the open-source tool SUAVE

Mangold¹,

Eisenhut²,

Brenner³

et al. 2023

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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The large variety of possible propulsion architectures for environmentally friendly and sustainable aircraft concepts create opportunities for the overall aircraft design. In particular, hybrid-electric aircraft have an increased number of additional components that must be implemented in the aircraft design tool. Primary and secondary energy sources can be used to achieve the necessary reduction in emissions. The preliminary aircraft design tool SUAVE offers the basic setup necessary to integrate the electrification of the propulsion system into the aircraft design. For this purpose, SUAVE has been extended to enable an iterative sizing loop for hybrid-electric aircraft. Hence, many propulsion architectures are easily adaptable. Additional components can be included and their interactions are considered. Furthermore, the fidelity levels of the models are modifiable. Moreover, the top-level aircraft requirements are transformed into a sizing chart to calculate the necessary power and wing loading. Thereby, a reasonable hybridization factor of installed power can be identified. This definition of hybridization implies a specific energy management strategy. As a result, hybridization and the energy management strategy are directly coupled and have to be considered together. Finally, in the postprocessing, the raw data is processed and can be evaluated with figures of merit. This procedure converts the results into a descriptive value and facilitates the comparison to other configurations. The figures of merit include evaluations for emissions, operational aspects and development costs and effort.

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“…In this background, great interest is shown to develop a new integrated software framework for preliminary aircraft design. The main focus is on integrating and evaluating (hybrid) electric propulsion concepts [4]. However, to realize electrification on a larger scale, for example, in regional aircraft, the electric propulsion should be combined with some novel airframe technologies such as active flow control, active load alleviation, and novel structures and materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidisciplinary design optimisation of a fully electric regional aircraft wing with active flow control technology

et al. 2021

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The German research Cluster of Excellence SE2A (Sustainable and Energy Efficient Aviation) is investigating different technologies to be implemented in the following decades, to achieve more efficient air transportation. This paper studies the Hybrid Laminar Flow Control (HLFC) using boundary layer suction for drag reduction, combined with other technologies for load and structural weight reduction and a novel full-electric propulsion system. A multidisciplinary design optimisation framework is presented, enabling physics-based analysis and optimisation of a fully electric aircraft wing equipped with HLFC technologies and load alleviation, and new structures and materials. The main focus is on simulation and optimisation of the boundary layer suction and its influence on wing design and optimisation. A quasi three-dimensional aerodynamic analysis is used for drag estimation of the wing. The tool executes the aerofoil analysis using XFOILSUC, which provides accurate drag estimation through boundary layer suction. The optimisation is based on a genetic algorithm for maximum take-off weight (MTOW) minimisation. The optimisation results show that the active flow control applied on the optimised geometry results in more than 45% reduction in aircraft drag coefficient, compared to the same geometry without HLFC technology. The power absorbed for the HLFC suction system implies a battery mass variation lower than 2%, considering the designed range as top-level requirement (TLR).

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An Integrated Design Framework for Aircraft with Hybrid Electric Propulsion

Cited by 9 publications

References 19 publications

Modelling Green VTOL Concept Designs for Reliability and Efficiency

Modelling Green VTOL Concept Designs for Reliability and Efficiency

Preliminary hybrid-electric aircraft design with advancements on the open-source tool SUAVE

Multidisciplinary design optimisation of a fully electric regional aircraft wing with active flow control technology

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