Envisioned in the next 15 to 30 years in the aviation industry, hybrid-electric propulsion offers theopportunity to integrate new technology bricks providing additional degrees of freedom to improveoverall aircraft performance, limit the use of non-renewable fossil resources and reduce the aircraftenvironmental footprint. Today, hybrid-electric technology has mainly been applied to groundbased transports, cars, buses and trains, but also ships. The feasibility in the air industry has to beestablished and the improvement in aircraft performance has still to be demonstrated. This thesisaims to evaluate the energy savings enabled by electric power in the case of a 70-seat regionalaircraft. First, energy saving opportunities are identified from the analysis of the propulsion andaerodynamic efficiencies of a conventional twin turboprop aircraft. The potential benefits comingfrom the variation of the size of prime movers and the new power managements with the use ofbatteries are studied. Also, possible aerodynamic improvements enabled by new propellerintegrations are considered. For each topic, simplified analyses provide estimated potential ofenergy saving. These results are then used to select four electrified propulsion systems that arestudied in more detail in the thesis: a parallel-hybrid, a turboelectric with distributed propulsion, apartial-turboelectric with high-lift propellers and an all-electric. Evaluating the selected hybrid-electric aircraft is even more challenging that the sizing of the different components, the energymanagement strategies and the mission profiles one can imagine are many and varied. Inaddition, the overall aircraft design process and the evaluation tools need to be adaptedaccordingly. The Airbus in-house Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation platform named XMDO,which includes most of the required modifications, is eventually selected and further developedduring the thesis. For examples, new parametric component models (blown wing, electrical motor,gas turbine, propeller, etc…) are created, a generic formulation for solving the propulsion systemequilibrium is implemented, and simulation models for take-off and landing are improved. In orderto evaluate the energy efficiency of the hybrid-electric aircraft, a reference aircraft equipped with aconventional propulsion system is first optimised with XMDO. Different optimisation algorithms aretested, and the consistency of the new design method is checked. Then, all the hybrid-electricconfigurations are optimised under the same aircraft design requirements as the reference. Forthe electrical components, two levels of technology are defined regarding the service entry date ofthe aircraft. The optimisation results for the turboelectric and the partial-turboelectric are used tobetter understand the potential aerodynamic improvements identified in the first part of the thesis.Optimisations for the parallel-hybrid, including different battery recharge scenarios, highlight thebest energy management strategies when batteries are used as secondary energy sources. All theresults are finally compared to the reference in terms of fuel and energy efficiencies, for the twoelectrical technology levels. The last part of the thesis focuses on the all-electric aircraft, and aimsat identifying the minimum specific energy required for batteries as a function of the aircraft designrange. A trade study is also carried-out in accordance with the service entry date for the otherelectrical components

No description available.

Today, we see a renewed interest in aircraft with multiple propellers. To support conceptual design of these vehicles, one of the major needs is a fast and accurate method for estimating wing aerodynamic characteristics in the presence of multiple propellers. For the method to be effective, it must be easy to use, have rapid turnaround time and should be able to capture major wing–propeller interaction effects with sufficient accuracy. This research is primarily motivated by the need to assess the effectiveness of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for simulating aerodynamic characteristics of wings with multiple propellers. The scope of the present research is limited to investigating the interaction between a single tractor propeller and a wing. This research aims to compare computational results from a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method, StarCCM+, and a vortex lattice method (VLM), VSP Aero. Two configurations that are analysed are 1) WIPP Configuration (Workshop for Integrated Propeller Prediction) 2) APROPOS Configuration. For WIPP, computational results are compared with measured lift and drag data for several angles of attack and Mach numbers. StarCCM+ results of wake flow field are compared with WIPP's wake survey data. For APROPOS, computed data for lift-to-drag ratio of the wing are compared with test data for multiple vertical and spanwise locations of the propeller. The results of the simulations are used to assess the effectiveness of the two CFD methods used in this research. / Master of Science / Today, we see a renewed interest in aircraft with multiple propellers due to an increasing demand for vehicles which fly short distances at low altitudes, be it flying taxis, delivery drones or small passenger aircrafts. To support conceptual design of vehicles, one of the major needs is a fast and accurate method for estimating wing aerodynamic characteristics in the presence of multiple propellers. For the method to be effective, it must be easy to use, have rapid turnaround time and should be able to capture major wing–propeller inter- action effects with sufficient accuracy. This research is primarily motivated by the need to assess the effectiveness of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for simulating aerodynamic characteristics of wings with multiple propellers. Then only can we can take full advantage of the capabilities of the CFD methods and support design of emerging propeller driven air vehicles with an appropriate level of confidence. This research aims to compare high level methods with increasingly complex geometries and realistic models of physics like Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) and low level methods that rely on simplified geometry and simplified physics models like Vortex Lattice Methods (VLM). We will analyse multiple configurations and validate them against experi- mental data and thus assessing the effectiveness of the CFD models. This research investigates two configurations, 1) WIPP configuration 2) APROPOS configuration, for which experimental data is available. The results of the simulations are used to assess the effectiveness of the two CFD methods used in this research.

The ever-increasing levels of greenhouse gas emissions has led to the scientific community starting to explore the viability of electrical aircraft system, with the most prominent research and product development for hybrid electric system, which forms the transition phase from combustion to fully electric aircrafts. The primary objective of this thesis is to find solutions towards thermal management of the electrical components of a hybrid electric aircraft propulsion system, which generate a significant amount of heat while operating at heavy load conditions required to propel an aircraft. In view of these objectives a micro channel cold plate liquid cooling system, has been dynamically modelled using a combination of lumped parameter and thermal resistance methods of heat transfer analysis. The study investigates the prospects of using Mobil Jet Oil II, typically used as an aircraft lubricant as a coolant for the thermal management system. The primary components of this model are lithium ion battery, DC-AC inverter, permanent magnet motor, cross flow finned micro channel heat exchanger, centrifugal pump and ducts. The electrical components have been dimensioned according to energy storage and load requirements considering their efficiencies and gravimetric power/energy. The system has been simulated and analyzed under different scenarios considering the coolant inlet temperature, air temperature across the heat exchanger and on two-time horizons. Analysis has been done to study the dynamic trends of the component temperature and the coolant at different stages of the system. The scope of the study includes an evaluation of the added weight of the thermal management system under different time horizons and their comparison with results from a reference study. From the simulation results it can be concluded that Mobil Jet Oil II is a promising option as a coolant and therefore its use as a common fluid for gas turbine lubrication and as coolant, will benefit the aircraft as now no extra coolant reservoir is required, allowing reduction in weight carried by the aircraft.

Envisagée à partir des 15 à 30 années à venir dans l'industrie aéronautique, la propulsion hybrideélectrique permet d'intégrer de nouvelles briques technologiques offrant des degrés de libertésupplémentaires pour améliorer les performances des aéronefs, limiter l'utilisation de ressourcesfossiles et réduire l’impact environnemental des avions. Aujourd'hui, la technologie hybrideélectrique est principalement appliquée aux transports terrestres, aux voitures, aux bus et auxtrains, mais aussi aux navires. La faisabilité pour le transport aérien doit encore être établie etl'amélioration des performances des aéronefs reste à démontrer. Cette thèse vise à évaluer lesgains énergétiques apportés par l'hybridation électrique d'un avion régional de 70 places. Toutd'abord, les opportunités d'économie d'énergie sont identifiées à partir de l'analyse desrendements propulsifs et aérodynamiques d'un avion bi-turbopropulsé conventionnel. Les gainspotentiels provenant de la variation de la taille des moteurs principaux et de nouvelles gestions depuissance par l'utilisation de batteries sont étudiés. De plus, les possibles améliorationsaérodynamiques émanant de nouveaux positionnements des hélices sont considérées. Pourchaque sujet, des analyses simplifiées fournissent une estimation d'économie d'énergie. Cesrésultats sont ensuite utilisés pour sélectionner quatre systèmes propulsifs électrifiés qui sontétudiés plus en détail dans la thèse: un hybride parallèle, un turboélectrique avec propulsiondistribuée, un turboélectrique partiel à hélices hypersustentatrices, et un tout-électrique.L'évaluation des avions hybrides électriques sélectionnés est d'autant plus difficile que ledimensionnement des différentes composants, les stratégies de gestion d'énergie et les profils demission que l'on peut imaginer sont nombreux et variés. En outre, le processus global deconception de l'avion et les outils d'évaluation doivent être adaptés en conséquence. L'outilinterne de conception par optimisation multidisciplinaire d'Airbus nommé XMDO, qui inclut laplupart des modifications requises, est finalement sélectionné et développé au cours de la thèse.Par exemple, de nouveaux modèles paramétriques de composants (voilure soufflée, moteurélectrique, turbine à gaz, hélice, etc...) sont créés, une formulation générique pour résoudrel'équilibre du système de propulsion est mise en place, et les modèles de simulation de décollageet d'atterrissage sont améliorés. Afin d'évaluer l'efficacité énergétique des avions hybridesélectriques, un avion de référence équipé d'un système propulsif conventionnel est d'abordoptimisé avec XMDO. Différents algorithmes d'optimisation sont testés, et la consistance de lanouvelle méthode de conception est vérifiée. Par la suite, les configurations hybrides électriquessont toutes optimisées selon les mêmes exigences de conception que l'avion de référence. Pourles composants électriques, deux niveaux de technologie sont définis selon la date d'entrée enservice de l'aéronef. Les résultats d'optimisation pour le turbo-électrique et le turbo-électriquepartiel sont utilisés pour mieux appréhender les gains aérodynamiques potentiels identifiés enpremière partie de thèse. Les optimisations pour l'hybride parallèle, comprenant différentsscénarios de recharge batterie, mettent en évidence les meilleures stratégies de gestion d'énergielorsque des batteries sont utilisées comme sources d'énergie secondaire. Tous les résultats sontfinalement comparés à la référence en termes de consommations de carburant et d'énergie, pourles deux niveaux de technologie électrique. La dernière partie de la thèse se concentre sur l'aviontout électrique. Elle vise à identifier l'énergie spécifique minimale requise pour les batteries enfonction de la distance maximale à parcourir. Une étude de sensibilité est également réalisée enfonction de la date d'entrée en service pour les autres composants électriques / Envisioned in the next 15 to 30 years in the aviation industry, hybrid-electric propulsion offers theopportunity to integrate new technology bricks providing additional degrees of freedom to improveoverall aircraft performance, limit the use of non-renewable fossil resources and reduce the aircraftenvironmental footprint. Today, hybrid-electric technology has mainly been applied to groundbased transports, cars, buses and trains, but also ships. The feasibility in the air industry has to beestablished and the improvement in aircraft performance has still to be demonstrated. This thesisaims to evaluate the energy savings enabled by electric power in the case of a 70-seat regionalaircraft. First, energy saving opportunities are identified from the analysis of the propulsion andaerodynamic efficiencies of a conventional twin turboprop aircraft. The potential benefits comingfrom the variation of the size of prime movers and the new power managements with the use ofbatteries are studied. Also, possible aerodynamic improvements enabled by new propellerintegrations are considered. For each topic, simplified analyses provide estimated potential ofenergy saving. These results are then used to select four electrified propulsion systems that arestudied in more detail in the thesis: a parallel-hybrid, a turboelectric with distributed propulsion, apartial-turboelectric with high-lift propellers and an all-electric. Evaluating the selected hybrid-electric aircraft is even more challenging that the sizing of the different components, the energymanagement strategies and the mission profiles one can imagine are many and varied. Inaddition, the overall aircraft design process and the evaluation tools need to be adaptedaccordingly. The Airbus in-house Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation platform named XMDO,which includes most of the required modifications, is eventually selected and further developedduring the thesis. For examples, new parametric component models (blown wing, electrical motor,gas turbine, propeller, etc…) are created, a generic formulation for solving the propulsion systemequilibrium is implemented, and simulation models for take-off and landing are improved. In orderto evaluate the energy efficiency of the hybrid-electric aircraft, a reference aircraft equipped with aconventional propulsion system is first optimised with XMDO. Different optimisation algorithms aretested, and the consistency of the new design method is checked. Then, all the hybrid-electricconfigurations are optimised under the same aircraft design requirements as the reference. Forthe electrical components, two levels of technology are defined regarding the service entry date ofthe aircraft. The optimisation results for the turboelectric and the partial-turboelectric are used tobetter understand the potential aerodynamic improvements identified in the first part of the thesis.Optimisations for the parallel-hybrid, including different battery recharge scenarios, highlight thebest energy management strategies when batteries are used as secondary energy sources. All theresults are finally compared to the reference in terms of fuel and energy efficiencies, for the twoelectrical technology levels. The last part of the thesis focuses on the all-electric aircraft, and aimsat identifying the minimum specific energy required for batteries as a function of the aircraft designrange. A trade study is also carried-out in accordance with the service entry date for the otherelectrical components

No description available.

<p>  </p> <p>With rising concerns over commercial aviation’s contribution to global carbon emissions, there exists a tremendous pressure on the aviation industry to find advanced technological solutions to reduce its share of CO2 emissions. Single-aisle (or narrowbody) aircraft are the biggest contributors to CO2 emissions by number of operations, insisting a need to reduce / eliminate their aircraft-level fuel consumption as soon as possible. A potential solution for this is to operate fully-electric single-aisle aircraft; however, the limitations of the current (and predicted future) battery technology is forcing the industry to explore hybrid-electric aircraft as a possible mid-term solution.</p> <p>Modeling hybrid-electric aircraft comes with its own challenges due to the presence of two different propulsion sources – gas turbine engines (powered by Jet-A fuel) and electric motors (powered by batteries). Since traditional sizing approaches and legacy sizing tools do not seem to work well for hybrid-electric aircraft, this work presents a “flight-mechanics-based” conceptual sizing tool for hybrid-electric aircraft, set up as a Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) toolbox. Some of the key features of the sizing tool include concurrently sizing the electric motors and downsizing the gas turbine engines while meeting the one-engine-inoperative (OEI) and top-of-climb constraints, and re-sizing the fuselage to account for the volumetric constraints associated with required batteries.</p> <p>Current work considers a parallel hybrid-electric single-aisle aircraft with a 900 nmi design range, with electric power augmentation (with electric motors operating at full throttle) available only for the takeoff and climb segments when sizing the aircraft. Four hybrid-electric propulsion technology cases are considered, and the resulting hybrid-electric aircraft show 15.0% to 22.5% reduction in fuel burn compared to a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.</p> <p>Another challenge with modeling hybrid-electric aircraft is determining their off-design performance characteristics (considering a different payload or mission range, or both). This work presents an energy management tool – set up as a nonlinear programming optimization problem – to minimize the fuel burn for a payload-range combination by identifying the optimal combination of throttle settings for the gas turbine engines and the electric motors during takeoff, climb, and cruise, along with identifying an optimal flight path. The energy management tool enables fuel savings of at least of 2%, with actual savings ranging from 142.1 lbs to 276.1 lbs per trip for a sample route (LGA–ORD) at a 80% load factor.</p> <p>Although the hybrid-electric aircraft sizing and performance analysis studies show encouraging results about the potential reduction in carbon emissions at an aircraft level, the future fleet-level carbon emissions are not expected to reduce proportionally to these aircraft level emission reductions. This work predicts the fleet-level environmental impacts of future single-aisle parallel hybrid-electric aircraft by modeling the behavior of a profit-seeking airline (with a mixture of conventional all Jet-A fuel burning and hybrid electric aircraft in its fleet) using the Fleet-Level Environmental Evaluation Tool (FLEET). FLEET’s model-based predictions rely upon historically-based information about US-touching airline routes and passenger demand served by US flag-carrier airlines from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to initiate model-based predictions of future demand, aircraft fleet mix, and aircraft operations. Using the aircraft performance coefficients from the energy management tool to represent the behavior of a single-aisle parallel hybrid-electric aircraft, the FLEET simulation predicts the changes in the fleet-wide carbon emissions due to the introduction of this new aircraft in an airline fleet in the year 2035. By 2055, FLEET results predict that the fleet-wide CO2 emissions with hybrid-electric aircraft in the fleet mix are at least 1.2% lower than the fleet-wide CO2 emissions of a conventional (all Jet-A fuel burning) aircraft-only airline. The rather limited reduction in emissions is an attribute of the reduced range capability and higher operating cost of the hybrid-electric aircraft (relative to a conventional aircraft of similar size). This causes the airline to change the usage, acquisition and retirement of its conventional aircraft when hybrid-electric aircraft are available; this is most notable to serve passenger demand on certain predominantly single-aisle service routes that cannot be flown by the future single-aisle hybrid-electric aircraft. </p>

<p dir="ltr">Electric aircraft offer a promising avenue for reducing aviation's environmental impact through decreased greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution. Nonetheless, their adoption is hindered by the challenge of limited operational range. Addressed in the study is the range limitation by integrating and optimizing multiple energy storage components—hydrogen fuel cells, Li-ion batteries, and ultracapacitors—through advanced energy management strategies. Utilizing meta-heuristic optimization methods, the research assessed the dynamic performance of each energy component and the effectiveness of the energy management strategy, primarily measured by the hydrogen consumption rate. MATLAB simulations validated the proposed approach, indicating a decrease in hydrogen usage, thus enhancing efficiency and potential cost savings. Artificial Gorilla Troop Optimization yielded the best results with the lowest average hydrogen consumption rate (102.62 grams), outperforming Particle Swarm Optimization (104.68 grams) and Ant Colony Optimization (105.96 grams). The findings suggested that employing a combined energy storage and optimization strategy can significantly improve the operational efficiency and energy conservation of electric aircraft. The study highlighted the potential of such strategies to extend the range of electric aircraft, contributing to a more sustainable aviation future.</p>