The electrification of the commuter aircraft is instrumental in the development of novel propulsion systems. The scope of this work aims to explore the design space of a parallel hybrid-electric configuration with an entry into service date of 2030 and beyond and determine the impact of other disciplines on conceptual design, such as components positioning, aircraft stability and structural integrity. Three levels of conceptual sizing are applied and linked with a parametric aircraft geometry tool, to generate the aircraft’s geometry and position the components. Subsequently, the structural optimisation of the wing box is performed, providing the centre of gravity of the components placed inside the wing, that minimise the induced stresses. Furthermore, the stability and trim analysis follow, with the former being highly affected by the positioning of components. Results are compared to a similar aircraft with entry into service technology of 2014 and it is indicated that in terms of block fuel reduction the total electrification benefit increases with the increase of degree of hybridisation, if aircraft mass is kept constant. On the other hand, if battery specific energy is kept constant, similar block fuel reduction is possible with lower hybridisation degrees. The potential for improvement in terms of carbon dioxide emissions and block fuel reduction ranges from 15.73% to 21.44% compared to the conventional aircraft, for levels of battery specific energy of 0.92 and 1.14 kWh/kg respectively. Finally, the component positioning evaluation indicates a maximum weight limitation of 240 kg for the addition of an aft boundary layer ingestion fan to a tube and wing aircraft configuration, without compromising the aircraft static stability.

This work focuses on the feasibility of a 19-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft, to serve the short-haul segment within the 200-600 nautical miles. Its ambition is to answer to research questions, during the evaluation and design of aircraft based on electric propulsion architectures. The potential entry into service of such aircraft is foreseen in 2030. A literature review is performed, to identify similar concepts developed globally. After the requirements' definition, the first level of conceptual design is employed. Following a set of assumptions, a methodology for the sizing of the hybrid-electric aircraft is described, to explore the basis of the design space. Additionally, a methodology for the energy storage positioning is provided, highlighting the multidisciplinary aspects between the sizing of an aircraft, the selected architecture (series/parallel partial hybrid) and the energy storage specifications. The design choices are driven by the aim to reduce CO2 emissions and accommodate boundary layer ingestion engines, with aircraft electrification. The results show that it is not possible to fulfil the initial design requirements (600 nmi) with a fully-electric aircraft configuration, due to the far-fetched battery necessities. It is also highlighted that compliance with airworthiness certifications is favored by switching to hybrid-electric aircraft configurations and relaxing the design requirements (range, payload, battery technology). Finally, the lower degree of hybridization (40%) is observed to have higher energy efficiency (12% lower energy consumption and larger CO2 reduction), compared to the higher degree of hybridization (50%), with respect to the conventional configuration.

This work is concerned with the investigation of thermal energy storage (TES) in relation to gas turbine inlet air cooling. The utilization of such techniques in simple gas turbine or combined cycle plants leads to improvement of flexibility and overall performance. Its scope is to review the various methods used to provide gas turbine power augmentation through inlet cooling and focus on the rising opportunities when these are combined with thermal energy storage. The results show that there is great potential in such systems due to their capability to provide intake conditioning of the gas turbine, decoupled from the ambient conditions. Moreover, latent heat TES have the strongest potential (compared to sensible heat TES) towards integrated inlet conditioning systems, making them a comparable solution to the more conventional cooling methods and uniquely suitable for energy production applications where stabilization of GT air inlet temperature is a requisite. Considering the system's thermophysical, environmental and economic characteristics, employing TES leads to more than 10% power augmentation.

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