Development of a new conceptual design methodology for parallel hybrid aircraft

Abstract

In this paper, an innovative methodology for the conceptual design of hybrid-powered airplanes is proposed. In particular, this work focuses on parallel hybrid architectures, in which the thermal engine is mechanically coupled to an electric motor, both supplying propulsive power during a limited number of flight phases, e.g. during takeoff and climb. This innovative solution is the subject of several studies being carried out since the current decade. In this paper, a brief overview of the works conducted by other researchers is provided. Then, an overall aircraft design methodology is proposed, which is derived from the most renewed design algorithms. The original contribution of this work is represented by the development of a methodology for the design of hybrid propulsion systems. Moreover, the proposed method is integrated within a global aircraft design methodology. In particular, several effects of the innovative system on the entire aircraft are considered, for instance the variation of the empty mass or the impacts on fuel consumption. The paper ends with some case studies of the proposed design methodology, and a discussion of the obtained results is provided.

Design of hybrid electric heavy fuel MALE ISR UAV enabling technologies for military operations

“…when only the electrical system is engaged) and IR signature reduction during specific segments of the reference mission profiles. Additionally, the safety level could increase, thanks to the capability of the hybrid powertrain to assist the emergency glide (Boggero et al, 2019) in case of engine failure.…”

“…Second, in case of ICE failure, the electric motor would provide enough thrust to permit a controlled glide and landing. In particular, defining the safety altitude as the minimum altitude needed by the aircraft to return safely to land and to the airport after an ICE failure during takeoff maneuver, this operating mode reduces the safety altitude increasing aircraft safety (Boggero et al, 2019).…”

“…The success and benefits of hybrid propulsion system in other industry fields started the transfer in the aeronautical one. At the early stage, this technology transfer has been only applied to general aviation aircraft (Glassock et al, 2017;Boggero et al, 2019;Airbus E-Fan project, 2018) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the same class (Lieh et al, 2011;Hung and Gonzalez, 2012) to cope with the current maturity of the enabler technologies, airworthiness regulations and procedures and infrastructures for electric/ hybrid aerial platforms. However, several important studies are involving regional transportation as well (Isikveren et al, 2015;Antcliff and Capristan, 2017).…”

A Virtual Test Bench of a Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System for UAVs

“…Similar advantages are expected in the aeronautics field, where the application are still few and mostly limited to UAVs. In recent years a number of studies on the subject have been published, including several theoretical studies [2][3][4][5][6][7], definition of test benches [8][9][10] and aircraft prototypes [11,12]. So far, the majority of the available literature is focused on the design and the performance analysis of one of two alternative architectures: the serial hybrid configuration and the parallel one.…”

“…The development of a hybrid propulsion system usually starts from a conceptual design of a hybrid aircraft given a set of high-level requirements. A rigorous methodology aimed at this conceptual design, starting from trade-off studies [6], is provided in [7]. The preliminary results of these analyses are then employed for the initial assessment of the components installed within the hybrid propulsion system, namely the propeller, the mechanical transmission, the internal combustion engine (ICE), the electrical machine, the batteries and the system controller.…”