Computational Study of the Propeller Position Effects in Wing-Mounted, Distributed Electric Propulsion with Boundary Layer Ingestion in a 25 kg Remotely Piloted Aircraft

[EN] Distributed electric propulsion and boundary layer ingestion are two attractive technologies to reduce the power consumption of fixed wing aircraft. Through careful distribution of the propulsive system elements, higher aerodynamic and propulsive efficiency can be achieved, as well as a lower r...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Serrano, J.R.|||0000-0003-0692-3917, Tiseira, Andrés-Omar|||0000-0001-9472-2386, García-Cuevas González, Luis Miguel|||0000-0001-9340-0617, Varela-Martínez, Pau
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/188036
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/188036
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Distributed electric propulsion
Boundary layer ingestion
Propeller
Fixed wing
INGENIERIA AEROESPACIAL
MAQUINAS Y MOTORES TERMICOS
13.- Tomar medidas urgentes para combatir el cambio climático y sus efectos
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Distributed electric propulsion and boundary layer ingestion are two attractive technologies to reduce the power consumption of fixed wing aircraft. Through careful distribution of the propulsive system elements, higher aerodynamic and propulsive efficiency can be achieved, as well as a lower risk of total loss of aircraft due to foreign object damage. When used on the wing, further reductions of the bending moment on the wing root can even lead to reductions of its structural weight, thus mitigating the expected increase of operating empty weight due to the extra components needed. While coupling these technologies in fixed-wing aircraft is being actively studied in the big aircraft segment, it is also an interesting approach for increasing the efficiency even for aircraft with maximum take-off masses as low as 25 kg, such as the A3 open subcategory for civil drones from EASA. This paper studies the effect of changing the propellers' position in the aerodynamic performance parameters of a distributed electric propulsion with boundary layer ingestion system in a 25 kg fixed-wing aircraft, as well as in the performance of the propellers. The computational results show the trade-offs between the aerodynamic efficiency and the propeller efficiency when the vertical position is varied.