Propulsion System Component Modeling for an All-Electric Commuter Aircraft Mission

Byahut, Saakar; Uranga, Alejandra

doi:10.2514/6.2020-0015

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

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“…The enabling technologies for a future fuel cell propulsion system, such as lighter TMS technology and electric components with high power densities, have not reached the required technology level yet. For this reason, future (2035) technological factors should be assumed for the aircraft and system weight estimations (Table 1) based on value ranges reported in literature and roadmaps [35,[37][38][39][40][41]. A retrofit approach to an existing aircraft platform requires adherence to two types of constraints:…”

Section: Fig 9 Integration Flowchart For Fc System-variable Pitch Pro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Mission Performance Analysis of Novel Propulsion Systems: Analysis of a Fuel Cell Regional Aircraft Retrofit

Pontika

Zaghari

Zhou

et al. 2023

AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum

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This paper presents the development and application of an integrated, higher-fidelity framework developed within CHARM (the Cranfield Hybrid electric Aircraft Model) for the design, performance analysis and overall evaluation of novel electrified propulsion systems. The developed framework is used to model and analyze the performance characteristics of a Fuel Cell (FC) regional aircraft system in comparison with a conventional regional aircraft and a hydrogen gas turbine regional aircraft retrofit. The FC propulsion system and the hydrogen gas turbine are retrofitted to the same conventional aircraft platform. Physics-based aircraft performance calculations, propeller maps, gas turbine component maps, off-design cycle analysis, electric component maps, calculations for the electric power management and distribution, and a Proton-Exchange Membrane FC (PEMFC) configuration sized to cover the power requirements of a regional aircraft, are integrated within this framework to capture the performance and interaction of components, sub-systems and aircraft during any flight mission and conditions. The aircraft performance, the propulsion system performance characteristics and the emissions of the three technologies are calculated and discussed to understand the challenges and opportunities of using hydrogen-electric propulsion (FC). The effect of capturing the variable mission parameters and flight phases on the performance of the electric power system and FC is presented and compared against a lower fidelity modeling approach for the electric powertrain. The sensitivity of the FC propulsion system and its attributes to varying mission requirements (island-hopping, range, cruise altitude, ambient conditions), as well as the change in the consumed fuel, are demonstrated. This framework can be used to inform the decision-making for the design of electric components and thermal management systems (TMS), and the importance of capturing the trade-off between mass, efficiency and operational constraints in the design process is highlighted. Also, the off-design performance of the electric power system designs and FC is modeled to decide if the design is within acceptable limits under various conditions, and capture the effect of mission requirements and flight conditions on the energy consumption of the overall aircraft system. Finally, a parametric analysis addresses the effect of power density improvement with future technology on the energy per passenger and feasibility of the FC regional aircraft.

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Section: Fig 9 Integration Flowchart For Fc System-variable Pitch Pro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Mission Performance Analysis of Novel Propulsion Systems: Analysis of a Fuel Cell Regional Aircraft Retrofit

Pontika

Zaghari

Zhou

et al. 2023

AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum

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Benefits and Challenges of Electric Propulsion for Commuter Aircraft

Kruger,

Uranga

2024

Journal of Aircraft

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This paper presents the Library for Unified Conceptual Aircraft Synthesis (LUCAS) sizing and optimization framework, which is largely based on Stanford’s Stanford University Aerospace Vehicle Environment (SUAVE). LUCAS is applied to a commuter mission carrying 19 passengers. Results show that energy usage benefits depend on mission range and electrical component technology and that reserve requirements play a significant role in the feasibility of electrified aircraft. It is found that storing more energy in batteries rather than fuel reduces the mission energy requirement at the expense of aircraft weight growth. All-electric aircraft could provide onboard energy savings of upward of 30% for a 180 km mission, but this would only become feasible if battery specific energy reached the high value of [Formula: see text]. Range could be increased to 550 km if part of the reserve mission requirements is relaxed. Under more realistic technology assumptions, a hybrid design storing energy in fuel and batteries could fly commuter missions with energy savings of 6%. A beneficial use case of hybrid configurations is a mode of operation where the aircraft uses only batteries during the main mission and fuel to store all the reserve energy. If reserves are not required for a particular flight, energy savings are still maximized, while the availability of fuel ensures certification requirements are met with fewer penalties.

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Power Distribution and Thermal Management Modeling for Electrified Aircraft

Byahut

Uranga

2020

AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2020 Forum

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Propulsion System Component Modeling for an All-Electric Commuter Aircraft Mission

Cited by 5 publications

References 6 publications

Integrated Mission Performance Analysis of Novel Propulsion Systems: Analysis of a Fuel Cell Regional Aircraft Retrofit

Integrated Mission Performance Analysis of Novel Propulsion Systems: Analysis of a Fuel Cell Regional Aircraft Retrofit

Benefits and Challenges of Electric Propulsion for Commuter Aircraft

Power Distribution and Thermal Management Modeling for Electrified Aircraft

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