<div><div><div><p>The advent of nano and micro class satellites has generated new demand for compact and efficient propulsion systems. Traditional propulsion technologies have been miniaturized for the CubeSat platform and new technology solutions have been proposed to address this demand. However, each of these approaches has disadvantages when applied within the context of a CubeSat. One potential low mass and power alternative is Film-Evaporation MEMS Tunable Array (FEMTA) micropropulsion which is capable of generating 150μN of thrust using 0.65W of electrical power and ultra-pure deionized water as propellant. The FEMTA thruster is etched into a 1cm × 1cm × 0.3mm silicon substrate using standard photolithography and microfabrication techniques. Each thruster consists of a 4 μm wide nozzle and platinum resistive heaters. Capillary pressure prevents the water from leaking through the nozzle and the heaters induce film-evaporation at the fluid interface to generate thrust. FEMTA has been in development at Purdue University since 2015 under the NASA SmallSat Technology Partnership Program and is currently on its 5th generation design. While these generations of FEMTA have successfully demonstrated the viability of the propulsion technique under ideal conditions, multiple reliability and performance related issues have been identified. More specifically, high vacuum tests have shown that the current FEMTA design is susceptible to quiescent propellant mass loss due to ice generation and leaking at the nozzle. These mass ejections can limit the lifespan and performance of the thruster and can induce undesired attitude perturbations on the host spacecraft. The purpose of this researchidentify the root causes of the quiescent mass loss mechanims hrough simulation and direct experimentation. Based on the results of these investigations, a next generation design is proposed, fabricated, and tested. Microfabrication was performed at Purdue’s Birck Nanotechnology Center and vacuum and thrust stand tests were performed at the High Vacuum Lab in the Aerospace Sciences Laboratory at Purdue.</p></div></div></div>

Hybrid rocket motors have become of great international interest during the last couple of years. A hybrid rocket motor is propelled by the use of a solid fuel and a liquid oxidizer. The fundamental principle of the hybrid propelled system is that the liquid oxidizer is injected into a combustion chamber to enable the combustion of the solid fuel. The exhaust gases are then accelerated through a nozzle to supersonic velocity to produce the desired level of thrust. To describe the overall performance of a propulsion system, it is common use the specifc impulse which expresses the performance as the total impulse per mass unit of propellant. However, in order to optimize a propulsion system, it is necessary to consider the entire system with the oxidizer tank, feed system, combustion chamber and nozzle. The issue with using the specifc impulse as a performance index is that it does not consider the total mass of the propulsion system. Therefore, this thesis will instead analyze the system specifc impulse, which expresses the performance as the total impulse per mass unit of propulsion system. By studying the entire hybrid propulsion system it is possible to determine the relations between the various parameters of the diferent components and should therefore be able to optimize the mass, volume and system specifc impulse of the system. This master’s thesis aims to illustrate how the hybrid propulsion system can be optimized depending on various fxed parameters. This analysis studies a generic hybrid propulsion systemwith Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as a solid fuel with diferent combinations ofoxidizers. Each oxidizer- and fuel confguration shall have identical combustion chamber presssures and shall generate the same total impulse. Nevertheless, each combination will result indiferent specifc impulses since the optimal confguration for each combination will generate diffferent oxidizer and fuel masses. It is then desirable to analyze how the diferent components ofthe propulsion system are affected by the required oxidizer and fuel for each optimal confgurationand how it drives the design of the system and generates diferent system specifc impulses.

I samband med den globala uppvärmningen ökar efterfrågan för rena och förnybara bränslen alltmer i dagens samhälle. Eftersom flygindustrin idag är ansvarig för samma mängd växthusgaser som all motortrafik i Sverige, skulle ett byte till en avgasfri energikälla för flygfarkoster vara ett stort framsteg. Därför har projektet genom modellering framtagit ett hybridsystem av ett batteri och en bränslecell och undersökt hur kombinationen av olika storlekar på dem presterar i en driftcykel. Då batterier har hög specifik effekt men är tunga, kompletteras de med fördel av bränsleceller, som är lättviktiga och bidrar med uthållig strömförsörjning. På så sätt blir hybriden optimal för flygfarkoster. Kandidatarbetet är en del av projektet Green Raven, ett tvärvetenskapligt samarbete mellan instutitionerna Tillämpad Elektrokemi, Mekatronik och Teknisk Mekanik på Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan. Driftcykelmodelleringen gjordes i Simulink, och flera antaganden gjordes beträffande effektprofilen, samt bränslecellens mätvärden och effekt. Tre olika energihushållningsscheman skapades, vilka bestämde bränslecellseffekten beroende på vätgasnivån och batteriets laddningstillstånd. Skillnaden på systemen var vilka intervall av laddningstillstånd hos batteriet som genererade olika effekt hos bränslecellen.  Det bästa alternativet visade sig vara 0/100-systemet, eftersom det var det enda som inte orsakede någon degradering av bränslecellens kapacitet. / In today’s society, with several environmental challenges such as global warming, the demand for cleanand renewable fuels is ever increasing. Since the aviation industry in Sweden is responsible for the sameamount of greenhouse gas emissions as the motor traffic, a change to a non-polluting energy source forflying vehicles would be considerable progress. Therefore, this project has designed a hybrid system of abattery and a fuel cell and investigated how different combinations of battery and fuel cell sizes perform ina drive cycle, through computer modelling. As batteries possess a high specific power but are heavy, thefuel cells with high specific energy complement them with a sustained and lightweight power supply,which makes the hybrid perfect for aviation. The bachelor thesis is a part of Project Green Raven, aninterdisciplinary collaboration with the institutions of Applied Electrochemistry, Mechatronics andEngineering Mechanics at KTH Royal Institute of Techology. The drive cycle simulations were done inSimulink, and several assumptions regarding the power profile, fuel cell measurements and power weremade. Three different energy management strategies were set up, determining the fuel cell powerdepending on hydrogen availability and state of charge of the battery. The strategies were called 35/65,20/80 and 0/100, and the difference between them was at which state of charge intervals the fuel cellchanged its power output. The best strategy proved to be 0/100, since it was the only option which causedno degradation of the fuel cell whatsoever.

Over the past few years, electric propulsion systems have been widely used in automotive applications. The next decade is likely to see the electrification of aerial vehicles. In the past 20 years, the passengers demand in the aviation industry has increased by roughly 5% annually. Drastic increment in the passengers demand leads to many problems such as emission, noise pollution, airports capacity shortage, and high fuel consumption. An electric airplane that can take off and land in an extremely short runway can solve all the mentioned problems. Also, an airplane that is smaller and lighter with the ability to take off and land from an extremely short runway can be used as a new transportation system in congested cities and solve the urban road traffic and compensate for people’s time wasted in traffic. With this in mind, in this thesis, the feasibility of converting a conventional fixed-wing direct-drive propeller airplane to an electric extremely short takeoff and landing airplane has been examined. An overview of the history of electric aerial vehicles and flying cars is conducted where some of these vehicles are still under development phase. The main aim of this thesis is to address the effect of takeoff and landing runway length on the electric motor main specifications, including power, torque, and speed. Also, the effect of cruising speed on the motor specifications are investigated, and it is observed that there is a considerable difference between the amount of required power for the cruising mode and takeoff mode. In the end, the impact of the braking system and airplane weight on the landing distance are examined, and It is found that for an airplane with a cruise-efficient propeller, usage of thrust reverser is not practical and hence it is not recommended. Although if the propeller is designed to have high efficiency at takeoff and landing, the thrust reverser can be a good solution to make the landing runway shorter. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

The shift towards electric transportation on a global scale is being primarily driven by regulatory requirements and market demand. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air pollution, energy demand, and CO2 emissions has further accelerated this transition. This transformation necessitates the development of efficient electric propulsion systems, particularly for commercial vehicles. These systems not only have a positive environmental impact but also offer significant financial advantages to fleet owners due to lower overall costs. One of the major challenges in this transition is the design and calibration of regenerative braking strategies, especially for commercial vehicles that exhibit significant variations in weight. This weight difference between curb and gross vehicle weight is a common scenario in the commercial vehicle sector. This thesis introduces the Adaptive One-Pedal Drive (A-OPD) strategy, which is specifically tailored for electric commercial vehicles with varying weight profiles and lacking advanced drive-by-wire braking systems. The thesis focuses on the development and accurate assessment of a model-centric approach for electrified propulsion systems. This approach establishes a strong correlation between the model and physical data, demonstrating its reliability in estimating critical variables such as battery state-of-charge, battery terminal voltage, system high-voltage DC, and wheel torque, even under diverse driving conditions. This model-centric approach serves as a valuable tool for optimizing design and conducting tradeoff analyses, enabling efficient evaluation of energy efficiency and drivability. Selecting the most suitable electrified propulsion system architecture is a crucial decision. The thesis categorizes electrified propulsion system architectures based on their impact on vehicle performance, energy consumption, and total cost of ownership. This selection process involves a multidisciplinary approach that takes into account both technical and business requirements. The central research focus of this thesis centers on regenerative braking systems. It compares series and parallel configurations, traditional one-pedal-drive (OPD), and introduces an innovative Adaptive One-Pedal Drive (A-OPD). The A-OPD relies on vehicle running mass identification using the Recursive Least Square Filter (RLS) and weight classification. This A-OPD strategy significantly enhances energy efficiency in urban traffic scenarios, even when vehicles are partially loaded. It outperforms parallel regenerative braking systems by up to 50% while maintaining performance levels similar to the series regenerative braking strategy. This innovation represents a significant leap in energy efficiency for electric commercial vehicles without the need for complex electronic braking systems. In summary, this thesis advances our understanding of optimizing the performance of electric commercial vehicles. The A-OPD strategy proves to be a practical and valuable tool for enhancing energy efficiency, particularly in dense urban traffic, and it outperforms parallel regenerative braking systems. Utilizing model-in-the-loop and driver-in-the-loop simulations, this thesis offers a comprehensive framework for designing efficient electrified propulsion system architectures. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis project will evaluate which kind of electrical motor is best suited for aircraft propulsion and which parameters effect the efficiency. An economic analysis was conducted, comparing the fuel price (Jet A1) for a gas turbine and the electricity price for an electric motor of 1MW. The study was conducted by using analytical methods in MATLAB. Excel was used to compile and present the data. The data used in this thesis project were assumed with regards to similar studies or pre-determined values. The main losses for the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) were calculated to achieve a deeper understanding of the most important parameters and how these parameters need to improve to allow for future electric propulsion systems. The crucial parameters for the losses were concluded to be the temperature, voltage level, electrical frequency, magnetic flux density, size of the rotor and rotational speed. The three main losses of a PMSM was illustrated through the analytical equations used in MATLAB. The calculations present how the ohmic losses depend on the temperature (0-230°C) at different voltages (700V and 1000V), how the core losses depend on frequency (0-1000Hz) at different magnetic flux densities and how the windage losses depend on rotational speed (7000-10000 rpm). It could be concluded that at 8500 rpm an efficiency of 91,26% could be achieved at 700V, 1.5T and 90.4% at 1000V, 1.65T. The decrease in efficiency is a result of the increase in magnetic flux density. When looking at the economic viability of electrical integration the power to weight ratio and energy price was compared for the gas turbine and electrical motor including an inverter and battery. This resulted in a conclusion that a pure electrical system may not compete with a gas turbine in 30 years of time due to the low energy density of the battery. It was also concluded that the emissions during cruise could be lowered significantly. If the batteries were charged in Sweden the emissions would decrease from ~937 kg CO2 to ~31 kg CO2. If the batteries were charged in the Nordic region the emissions would decrease to ~119kg CO2. However, if the batteries were to be charged in the US the carbon dioxide emission would be ~1084 kg CO2, which is an increase in CO2 emission compared to the gas turbine.

Beyond Atlas is a Swedish private company with the goal of exploring the solar system with cheap and reliable spacecraft. Part of their maiden mission, Hugin, aims to demonstrate navigation, propulsion, and communication technology on a 3U CubeSat. This thesis aims to investigate the feasibility of using the Enpulsion NANO electric propulsion (EP) system for deep-space applications and how to best demonstrate its capabilities in low-Earth orbit. Literature reviews of scientific papers and software simulations were conducted to gain an understanding of the underlying processes involved in EP in-orbit operations. Analyses were made on orbital maneuvers, momentum unloading, power and thermal restrictions. The results suggest that the EP system's capabilities is mainly limited by the saturation time of the reaction wheels restricting longer duration orbital maneuvers. Orbital maneuvers for demonstrating the capabilities are proposed based on the limitations imposed on the EP system by the rest of the spacecraft. On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that the Enpulsion NANO thruster's operational range can be utilized both as a low thrust efficient main drive and as a high thrust maneuvering thruster for deep-space applications but is limited by the high power consumption and low thrust-to-power ratio.

Propulsion systems allow satellites to perform many functionalities in space, such as orbital station keeping, reentry control, attitude control, orbital transferring, rendezvous operation, and even more thrilling, interplanetary travel. Indeed, propulsion systems in satellites have fostered a new favourable era of space exploration and application, therefore, detailed processes to operate propulsion systems need to be developed so that space missions, carrying this valuable system, are completed successfully. The aim of this study is to describe the most relevant operating procedures for the cold gas propulsion system NanoProp 3U, developed by GomSpace, on-board the 3U CubeSat MIST satellite developed by KTH. Procedures, such as power levels, telemetry considerations, propellant mass determination, Fault Detection Isolation and Recovery analysis, and decommissioning plan allow proper operation of NanoProp according to the mission requirements determined for MIST mission. Moreover, this study describes detailed mission experiments to be performed with NanoProp with the objective of assessing the performance delivered by the propulsion system itself, and other on-board subsystems which are required for monitoring and controlling the spacecraft according to the effects generated by the propulsion system. The planning and operation of a propulsion system should be outlined on-ground, during the mission design, so a clear understanding of the characteristics and limitations of the system are highlighted towards the development of a secure and solid space mission. / Framdrivningssystem tillåter satelliter att utföra många funktioner i rymden, som t.ex. att hålla konstant avstånd till en annan rymdfarkost, utlösa återinträde i atmosfären, attitydstyrning, manövrera mellan olika omloppsbanor, och, till och med, interplanetära uppdrag. Framdrivningssystem i satelliter har främjat en ny lovande era av rymdforskning och praktisk tillämpning av rymden, och därför behöver detaljerade, men praktiskt hanterbara, metoder för att operativt använda framdrivningssystem utvecklas. Basen för detta arbete är att beskriva de mest relevanta driftsrutinerna för framdrivningssystemet NanoProp 3U, utvecklat av GomSpace, för användning ombord på MIST-satelliten (en 3U Cubesat) som utvecklats av KTH. Aspekter på NanoProps användning i MIST som förbrukning av elektrisk energi, telemetribehov, drivmedelsmassa, hantering av felfunktioner (upptäckt och avhjälpande) och avveckling av satelliten vid drifttidens slut analyseras i detalj. Dessutom analyserar detta arbete hur detaljerade driftprov kan utföras med NanoProp i syfte att bedöma de prestanda som framdrivningssystemet tillhandahåller och hur dessa prov påverkar och stöds av driften av satellitens övriga delsystem. Det övergripande syftet med detta arbete är således att utveckla en metod för att planera driften av ett framdrivningssystem under ett satellitprojekts definitions- och utvecklingsfaser så att en tydlig förståelse av systemets egenskaper och begränsningar leder till ett säkert och stabilt rymduppdrag.

This study explores the variable speed operation and shift response of a prototype of a two speed single path CVT rotorcraft driveline system. Here a Comprehensive Variable Speed Rotorcraft Propulsion system Modeling (CVSRPM) tool is developed and utilized to simulate the drive system dynamics in steady forward speed condition. This investigation attempts to build upon previous variable speed rotorcraft propulsion studies by: 1) Including fully nonlinear first principles based transient gas-turbine engine model 2) Including shaft flexibility 3) Incorporating a basic flight dynamics model to account for interactions with the flight control system. Through exploring the interactions between the various subsystems, this analysis provides important insight into the continuing development of variable speed rotorcraft propulsion systems.

The electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) problem in the railway propulsion system is a significant safety issue of high concern. The problems can be caused by any part of the propulsion system as well as any combination of the sub systems. Simulation is a fast economical way to understand the system and to predict the EMC performance. In this thesis, the propulsion system is studied partly from the rectifier to the motor. To simulate the rectifier, a two level pulse width modulation (PWM) controlled rectifier is built in Simulink. Time domain line current as well as frequency domain spectra is studied. The spectrum changing according to time variation is obtained. In order to study the high derivative of switching pulse in the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a simple circuit is proposed to investigate it. The high frequency noise spectrum is given and the variation of the spectrum due to the reverse recovery time of the ant-parallel diode is also demonstrated. Transmission line theory is used to model the cable used to connect the inverter and motor. The method to extract the characteristic capacitance and inductance matrices of the cable system is presented. Decoupling these characteristic matrices is required for modeling the multiconductor transmission line (MTL) in PSpice. A simple way to decouple them is thus proposed here. Through the simulation studies, we analyze the oscillation and overvoltage in the cable. A fourth cable with optimized layout is also illustrated here to reduce the oscillation on the line. Furthermore, the relationship between the length of line and the noise frequency is studied. Shielding is another way to reduce the electromagnetic (EM) coupling of power lines. The method to model shielded cables in PSpice is given in this thesis. Based on the model we have investigated the shielding effect and analyzed the impact of different grounding conditions on the shielding performance. / QC 20110321