A Conceptual Design and Optimization Approach for Distributed Electric Propulsion eVTOL Aircraft Based on Ducted-Fan Wing Unit
The distributed electric propulsion (DEP) eVTOL aircraft has gained rising interest for its promising potential in high-speed cruise compared with conventional tilt-rotor configuration. The aerodynamic interference of the DEP units and wing could become more complicated with a variable thrust in mul...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Aerospace |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/11/690 |
| _version_ | 1797469535919407104 |
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| author | Tielin Ma Xiangsheng Wang Nanxuan Qiao Zilun Zhang Jingcheng Fu Mingmin Bao |
| author_facet | Tielin Ma Xiangsheng Wang Nanxuan Qiao Zilun Zhang Jingcheng Fu Mingmin Bao |
| author_sort | Tielin Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The distributed electric propulsion (DEP) eVTOL aircraft has gained rising interest for its promising potential in high-speed cruise compared with conventional tilt-rotor configuration. The aerodynamic interference of the DEP units and wing could become more complicated with a variable thrust in multiple flight conditions. Thus, it requires considerable effort to trade off in the whole design process. Aimed at improving the design efficiency in iteration cycling of a ducted-fan DEP eVTOL aircraft, a conceptual design and optimization approach is proposed in this paper regarding the single-ducted fan and its surrounding wing section as the basic unit. The optimization of the ducted-fan wing (DFW) unit is targeted at improving both hover and cruise efficiencies. After the verification of the span independence of the lift-and-drag coefficients of the DFW unit, a novel DEP eVTOL aircraft conceptual design approach is established based on the vertical meridional plane DFW unit performance analysis. In the following case study, the optimized DFW unit and the conceptual method are applied on a canard configuration, achieving 720 km/h maximum speed, a hovering efficiency of 76.3%, and a 10.7 cruise lift-to-drag ratio. The remarkable performance and concise workflow in the case study both demonstrated the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed design schemes for DEP eVTOL aircraft. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:21:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2ba653068c4f458b86aad8650b470f45 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-4310 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:21:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Aerospace |
| spelling | doaj.art-2ba653068c4f458b86aad8650b470f452023-11-24T03:15:53ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102022-11-0191169010.3390/aerospace9110690A Conceptual Design and Optimization Approach for Distributed Electric Propulsion eVTOL Aircraft Based on Ducted-Fan Wing UnitTielin Ma0Xiangsheng Wang1Nanxuan Qiao2Zilun Zhang3Jingcheng Fu4Mingmin Bao5Institute of Unmanned System, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaShanghai Electro-Mechanical Engineering Institute, Shanghai 201109, ChinaSchool of Transportation Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 102206, ChinaScience and Technology on Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Laboratory, China Helicopter Research and Development Institute, Jingdezhen 333001, ChinaThe distributed electric propulsion (DEP) eVTOL aircraft has gained rising interest for its promising potential in high-speed cruise compared with conventional tilt-rotor configuration. The aerodynamic interference of the DEP units and wing could become more complicated with a variable thrust in multiple flight conditions. Thus, it requires considerable effort to trade off in the whole design process. Aimed at improving the design efficiency in iteration cycling of a ducted-fan DEP eVTOL aircraft, a conceptual design and optimization approach is proposed in this paper regarding the single-ducted fan and its surrounding wing section as the basic unit. The optimization of the ducted-fan wing (DFW) unit is targeted at improving both hover and cruise efficiencies. After the verification of the span independence of the lift-and-drag coefficients of the DFW unit, a novel DEP eVTOL aircraft conceptual design approach is established based on the vertical meridional plane DFW unit performance analysis. In the following case study, the optimized DFW unit and the conceptual method are applied on a canard configuration, achieving 720 km/h maximum speed, a hovering efficiency of 76.3%, and a 10.7 cruise lift-to-drag ratio. The remarkable performance and concise workflow in the case study both demonstrated the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed design schemes for DEP eVTOL aircraft.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/11/690distributed electric propulsionducted-fan wingeVTOL aircraftconceptual designaircraft/propulsion integrationducted fan optimization |
| spellingShingle | Tielin Ma Xiangsheng Wang Nanxuan Qiao Zilun Zhang Jingcheng Fu Mingmin Bao A Conceptual Design and Optimization Approach for Distributed Electric Propulsion eVTOL Aircraft Based on Ducted-Fan Wing Unit Aerospace distributed electric propulsion ducted-fan wing eVTOL aircraft conceptual design aircraft/propulsion integration ducted fan optimization |
| title | A Conceptual Design and Optimization Approach for Distributed Electric Propulsion eVTOL Aircraft Based on Ducted-Fan Wing Unit |
| title_full | A Conceptual Design and Optimization Approach for Distributed Electric Propulsion eVTOL Aircraft Based on Ducted-Fan Wing Unit |
| title_fullStr | A Conceptual Design and Optimization Approach for Distributed Electric Propulsion eVTOL Aircraft Based on Ducted-Fan Wing Unit |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Conceptual Design and Optimization Approach for Distributed Electric Propulsion eVTOL Aircraft Based on Ducted-Fan Wing Unit |
| title_short | A Conceptual Design and Optimization Approach for Distributed Electric Propulsion eVTOL Aircraft Based on Ducted-Fan Wing Unit |
| title_sort | conceptual design and optimization approach for distributed electric propulsion evtol aircraft based on ducted fan wing unit |
| topic | distributed electric propulsion ducted-fan wing eVTOL aircraft conceptual design aircraft/propulsion integration ducted fan optimization |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/11/690 |
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