Conceptual aerodynamic design of an executive supersonic passenger aircraft – ESPA

Abstract

Despite 50 years of technological advancement since the inception of Concorde, research on supersonic passenger aircraft has only recently resulted in design and flight test of several small 12- to 55-passenger business jets with supersonic cruises between Mach 1.2 and 2.2. Analytical research designs of larger 300-passenger aircraft have been conducted only to speeds of Mach 2.0 and 2.2, mainly avoiding moving beyond turbojet propulsion. This research extends on an earlier multifactor regression sizing study to determine in greater design detail what the configuration of a 200-passenger Mach 3.0 aircraft could be using extant technology. This research article is the first part of two and covers the conceptual aircraft design evolution focussing on the aerodynamics, wing and fuselage. In contrast, the second article covers engine conceptual design and placement. Wing shape optimization is performed using fundamental CFD analysis to arrive at a configuration suitable for both subsonic and supersonic flight. Noise considerations and shock wave formation drive further design iterations based on the research literature. The viability of this research design informs a future multidisciplinary optimization like those recently published in the literature for smaller supersonic business jets.

Conceptual design and integration of a propulsion system for a supersonic transport aircraft

“…The cruising altitude of 70,000 ft was chosen at this stage in the design process because it allowed a lower thrust to weight ratio. 10

Figure 1.The executive supersonic passenger aircraft. 10

…”

“…The developed configuration is in Figure 1 from Lawrence, Hutchinson. 10 The first iteration of this aircraft provides a planned maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 266, 016 kg and a fuel weight of 130,854 kg whilst accommodating up to 250 passengers. These are the baseline figures for this analysis.…”

“…The cruising altitude of 70,000 ft was chosen at this stage in the design process because it allowed a lower thrust to weight ratio. 10 NASA undertook market studies in their high-speed transport (HST) program during the two decades (1980s and 1990s) indicating that there is a significant need for an SST with a range capability of 6000 nautical miles. 14 The planned routes for the ESPA are given by Joiner, Zahra.…”

“…19 The lift-to-drag ratios (L/D) shown in equation (1) for the ESPA are continually changing as the design is changed; however, the current figures are in Table 2 from Lawrence, Hutchinson. 10 The aircraft weight in each phase of flight will be different due to fuel burn throughout the flight. Fuel burnt in each phase of flight was calculated by obtaining fuel flow figures from GasTurb and applied over the time the aircraft is in each phase of flight.…”

“…This research article is the second part of two and covers a suitable and cost-effective propulsion system for the executive supersonic passenger aircraft (ESPA). The first article 10 covers the aircraft conception, initial sizing and configuration development. Our aircraft design research is original in its higher supersonic design speed of Mach 3 without being hypersonic, and in a significant 200-passenger capacity without seeking to carry the same as large subsonic passenger aircraft.…”