Blade shape optimization of an aircraft propeller using space mapping surrogates

Abstract

Propeller performance greatly influences the overall efficiency of the turboprop engines. The aim of this study is to perform a propeller blade shape optimization for maximum aerodynamic efficiency with a minimal number of high-fidelity model evaluations. A physics-based surrogate approach exploiting space mapping is employed for the design process. A space mapping algorithm is utilized, for the first time in the field of propeller design, to link two of the most common propeller analysis models: the classical blade-element momentum theory to be the coarse model; and the high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics tool as the fine model. The numerical computational fluid dynamics simulations are performed using the finite-volume discretization of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations on an adaptive unstructured grid. The optimum design is obtained after few iterations with only 56 computationally expensive computational fluid dynamics simulations. Furthermore, an optimization method based on design of experiments and kriging response surface is used to validate the results and compare the computational efficiency of the two techniques. The results show that space mapping is more computationally efficient.

Rapid Blade Shape Optimization for Contra-Rotating Propellers for eVTOL Aircraft Considering the Aerodynamic Interference

“…This compact configuration gains its advantages in small flooring areas and maneuverability through individual control of the propellers in CRP propulsion units. It satisfies the requirements for UAM aircraft, that is, it possesses high maneuverability and a small landing area, and can adapt to the complex urban air traffic situation and landing and take-off environment [18], making it suitable for urban air logistics with a strong load capacity. The salient dimensional and weight characteristics from the requirement are listed in Table 1, based on which, the CRP status in the hovering condition is regarded as the target status in the following sections.…”

“…The propeller diameter under the aircraft dimensional constraints is set at 2 m. Considering the advantage altitude range for UAM (150 to 1000 m above the ground level), the CRP operating altitude is set at 500 m, with the resulting air density and viscosity. According to some previous research on propeller optimization [18,20,21], three spanwise control sections for each blade are sufficient for the propeller geometric definition. Considering the aerodynamic interference in the CRP, more rigorous profile definition might be required.…”

High-fidelity aerodynamic and aerostructural optimization of UAV propellers

“…For optimization, they used a simple genetic algorithm, the simplex method, and the steepest-descent method. Toman et al [11] optimized a propeller blade for maximum aerodynamic efficiency using the surrogate-based optimization approach. They used space mapping and kriging techniques to construct their surrogates.…”